UK Special forces veteran and author found hanged after PTSD battle

Special forces veteran found hanged after being tormented by post-traumatic stress
By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
Last updated at 11:25 AM on 19th November 2010


A special forces veteran and author hanged himself after suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, an inquest heard.

Peter Mercer, who wrote Dirty Deeds Done Cheap and Not By Strength, By Guile, had been haunted by memories of his time in the Special Boat Service, the Royal Navy's special forces unit. He also served in the Balkans and Northern Ireland and worked as a private security guard in Iraq.
Mr Mercer, 39, was found in Clevedon near Bristol in April having struggled with alcoholism and the emotional impact of his military service.


Read more: Special Forces veteran hanged himself

Medical trail finds maybe PTSD is a tougher nut to crack

Mental Health

Results of D-Cycloserine Therapy for PTSD Prove Underwhelming

By: KATE JOHNSON, Internal Medicine News Digital Network

MONTREAL – The addition of d-cycloserine to cognitive-behavioral therapy for the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder showed little or no benefit over placebo, based on several studies presented at the annual meeting of the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies.

The presentations sparked some heated debate and dampened hopes for the drug in treating posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), given that it has already shown promise in the treatment of social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and some phobias – and might have potential in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder and addictions.

"The early results are not as positive as we [had] hoped," commented Dr. Charles Marmar, professor and chair of the department of psychiatry at New York University, when asked to comment after the session. "We didn’t see much evidence today that d-cycloserine boosts the therapeutic benefit of cognitive-behavioral therapy [CBT] in PTSD," agreed Dr. Roger Pitman, director of the Massachusetts General Hospital posttraumatic stress disorder and psychophysiology laboratory and professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, both in Boston.

But Dr. Pitman cautioned against dismissing the potential of d-cycloserine (DCS) in psychiatry. "There are several published studies now in social phobia, panic disorder, and height phobia that you can’t simply dismiss," he said in an interview. "It’s fair to conclude that DCS has the capability of bolstering cognitive-behavioral therapy by enhancing retention, but maybe PTSD is a tougher nut to crack."
read more here
Results of D-Cycloserine Therapy for PTSD Prove Underwhelming

Call of Duty Endowment Launches

Activision’s Call of Duty Endowment Launches

25-Day ‘Service Ops’ Campaign to

Increase Awareness for Veterans’ Unemployment

Participants Will Have a Chance to Win a Free Copy of Call of Duty®: Black Ops



WASHINGTON – As the nation celebrates Veterans Day, the Call of Duty Endowment announced today that it was launching a twenty-five day social media campaign to build awareness about the issue of veterans’ unemployment. Throughout the endeavor, fans and followers of the Call of Duty Endowment’s Facebook and Twitter pages will be asked to post a call to action or ‘Service Op’ as their status each day. For those individuals that share the ‘Service Op’ with their friends and followers, they will be eligible to win a copy of Call of Duty®: Black Ops.


The Call of Duty Endowment is a non-profit, public benefit corporation, which was created by Activision Blizzard, Inc. (Nasdaq: ATVI) in November 2009. The organization seeks to help veterans transitioning to civilian life find work and establish careers and to assist other organizations that provide job placement and training. Earlier this month, Activision committed an additional $1 million dollars for the Endowment, at their Call of Duty®: Black Ops launch event.

The ‘Service Ops’ campaign will run from November 12, 2010 until Pearl Harbor Day, which is celebrated on December 7, 2010. Two winners will be selected at random from both the Facebook and Twitter platforms each day the campaign is active. Participants must post the daily call to action through a special Facebook application or by using the hashtag, #serviceops, on Twitter.

RADM Jim Carey (USN-Ret.) a member of the Call of Duty Endowment advisory board, explained the timing of the campaign: “Both Veterans Day and Pearl Harbor Day are extremely important days for our nation to honor those individuals who have served in the military. Both days remind the public of the sacrifices and dedication our men and women endure, but more people also need to be aware of the challenges military members face when they leave the service.”

Carey added, “This campaign is a simple way for folks to say ‘thank you’ to our veterans, while also putting a larger spotlight on a national problem that we want more individuals to recognize.”


Recent figures from the Labor Department cited that there are close to 1 million unemployed veterans throughout the nation and that the unemployment rate for the youngest Iraq and Afghanistan veterans is more than 20 percent.


Activision Blizzard, is a worldwide online, PC and console video game publisher and publisher of the best-selling Call of Duty® video game franchise. The Call of Duty Endowment was created with a commitment to donate and raise millions of dollars to help increase awareness of veterans’ unemployment. Recognizing that Call of Duty® is extremely popular among troops, the company chose to give back to veterans by using the proceeds from the franchise to fund the organization.



The official rules and guidelines for the ‘Service Ops’ campaign can be found on the organization’s website at www.callofdutyendowment.org.

It Is Time to Heal America's Civilian-Military Divide

It Is Time to Heal America's Civilian-Military Divide


Christine Pelosi
Campaign Boot Camp author; California DNC Member
Posted: November 14, 2010 05:02 PM

Though millions of Americans paused to remember those who served our country and honor those who still wear the uniform on Veterans Day, our civilian-military divide persists and must be healed. As a proud family member of three generations who wore the uniform, I'm convinced that we can do more to help.

For years now, we have had raging debates over how to separate the war from the warrior -- how to recruit, support, and fund a strong military while debating the policies for which those in uniform will risk their lives. Now more than ever anti-war activists play a strong role in promoting warriors' benefits. Yet recent surveys of military families reveal an ongoing civilian-military divide. For example, a Blue Star Families release reported over 90 percent of military families believe that the civilian communities do not understand their needs nor support the values and dignity that come with a military career. That is an astounding, depressing number. This is not for lack of information -- we have TV, blogs, papers, and magazines devoted to war coverage -- but lack of experience. When less than three percent of Americans are serving, there is a cultural divide. Short of returning to a draft, what is to be done?
read more here
It Is Time to Heal America Civilian Military Divide

LIFE AFTER COMBAT: Civilian clergy learn the effects of deployment

PTSD, STRESS, AND PRAYER
LIFE AFTER COMBAT: Civilian clergy learn the effects of deployment
By DANIEL WOOLFOLK
TIMES STAFF WRITER
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2010

FORT DRUM — Stresses of military life extend beyond the installation gates — they can be found where soldiers pray.

Almost 60 civilian clergymen met with Fort Drum chaplains at The Commons Tuesday to discuss how to better minister to military congregants.

"The clergy want to do all they can for the soldiers and their families that are in our communities," said Denise K. Young, executive director of the Fort Drum Regional Health Planning Organization.

She worked with Fort Drum garrison Chaplain Col. Lee Dudley to organize the event that highlighted the importance of understanding post-traumatic stress disorder, the availability of additional family resources and the stresses unique to each phase of a deployment.

The Rev. Frederick G. Garry of the First Presbyterian Church addressed the audience, telling them civilian clergy are very good at working with common problems, but should also understand military needs.

"It doesn't always translate easily into the parish," he said.

Personality disorders are especially difficult, said Rev. David L. Hayner, of New Life Christian Church.

"We're lacking in being able to understand, being able to cope with and being able to reach out to soldiers with PTSD," he said.

More than 60 percent of families in his congregation have a member in the military, an organization he is familiar with.

A combat-wounded veteran, the Rev. Mr. Hayner served as a platoon sergeant in the 10th Mountain Division's 2nd Battalion, 14th Infantry Regiment.
read more here
PTSD, STRESS, AND PRAYER

Glenn Beck Equates Veterans with Communists

Is this about a man seeing communists hiding under his bed or is it about a man making a lot of money off the way he talks and doesn't care about who he hurts anymore?

Beck hates liberals, that much is clear. What good they do in this country doesn't matter in his eyes. Everyone is fair game if he can attack liberals.

According to people like Beck, liberals should be hated even though they have historically been about taking care of other people, taking care of the troops instead of just talking about it, taking care of veterans when they come home and yes, even questioning the reason they had to go into combat in the first place. Beck fights for the rich, tells people the government wants their money, but kept silent when Bush and the GOP borrowed against our kids futures to give stimulus money to the rich (in other words welfare for the wealthy) along with telling them that insurance companies should be in charge of their health and deciding if they live or get better was a good thing. He may even think privatizing the VA is a good thing too but considering I avoid what Beck says most of the time, not sure where he stands on this but his peeps approve.

So where was Beck when the troops were coming home with wounds needing medical care but no one thought to gear up the VA when the troops were sent into two wars? Silent!

IN THE NEWS
Professional Idiot Glenn Beck Equates Veterans with Communists
by Bill Bradley November 17, 2010, 5:28 PM


Yesterday, an Iraq veteran named Denise called in to The Glenn Beck Program to complain about the fun she had on Veterans Day. Denise, who returned from Iraq two years ago, walked with Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans for America (I.A.V.A.) in last Thursday’s parade in New York City and then attended a soiree at The Providence, in Midtown Manhattan, where she encountered “a spread like you wouldn’t believe.”

Personally, I think all our veterans deserve this treatment (in addition to the free Bloomin’ Onion and pint they’re offered at Outback Steakhouse). But Denise found herself questioning I.A.V.A.’s motives. “Where did they get the money for all this? It was unbelievable how they treated us that day,” she said. So she took to the Internet, where she claims she found out that the I.A.V.A.—America’s largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization for veterans of the wars of the past decade—is supported by George Soros and MoveOn.org. “George Soros has his hand in the military,” Denise told Beck, who was only too happy for the opportunity to take a few whacks at one of his favorite punching bags.

“What [liberal donors such as Soros are] doing is, they’re creating the misery, and they’re coming out and organizing all these people—under the guise of labor unions or something as innocuous sounding as, you know, Iraqi [sic] and Afghanistan Veterans Foundation [sic]—but it is Soros and Communist and radical money and they are tying and duping people in as much as they can,” Beck said, referring to an organization whose activities include lobbying for veterans policy on Capitol Hill, giving away N.F.L. and concert tickets to veterans, and working to improve mental health.
read more here
Glenn Beck Equates Veterans with Communists

Not the first time he did something against the troops

Glenn Beck took advantage of the troops and our love for them!


There have been reports that the money Beck raised during his rally did not come with a warning that the money would first go to pay for the rally and then into the foundation. There is a disclaimer on his site about this but when a reported $5 Million dollars was raised for the sake of the troops and the wounded, it is sickening that this happened.

If you donated for them you ended up donating to Beck and his rally.

Thank you to all those that attended 8/28 both in person and online

With your support and help we were able to raise more than $5-million dollars for the Special Operations Warrior Foundation.

If you would like to donate to their cause you can do so online here OR you can text SOWF to 85944 to make a $10 donation.

THE SPECIAL OPERATIONS NEEDS YOUR HELP!

Every day service personnel risk their lives to protect our country. It is through the support of non-profit organizations like the Special Operations Warrior Foundation (SOWF) that the families of these service members are taken care of in the event of an accident or loss of life. Learn more about the SOWF today by visiting www.specialops.org.

Help us to honor our heroes, our heritage and our future by making a tax-deductible donation online or by sending a check to:

SOWF
C/O Mercury Radio Arts
1270 Avenue of the Americas, 9th Floor
NY, NY 10020
(all checks should be payable to Special Operations Warrior Foundation)

This is at the bottom of the page,,,,,,,,,

This rally is compliant with IRS Rules and Regulations found in IRS publication 557 and IRS publication 4221-PC. For tax purposes a gift to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation is deductible in accordance with Internal Revenue Service's tax laws. No goods or services were provided in exchange for your contribution. The purchase of Restoring Honor Rally merchandise is not a donation to SOWF, but all net proceeds from the sale of Restoring Honor Rally merchandise is being donated to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation. All contributions made to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation (SOWF) will first be applied to the costs of the Restoring Honor Rally taking place on August 28, 2010. All contributions in excess of these costs will then be retained by the SOWF. Tax ID 52-1183585.
http://www.glennbeck.com/828/

Where did the money left over go to? Anyone know?

Here's one more

Where was Glenn Beck when Spc. Barber killed himself

Asking a tough question for suicide prevention

"Suicide prevention experts say it is too early to claim success or attribute the potential drop to any one program."

How is this news? How many times will we read about the numbers going up right after another program has made the news? We keep finding out that nothing is really changing in these attempts to get ahead of all of this, yet then we read more members of the military have committed suicide. "Attribute the potential drop?" What the hell is that supposed to mean?

Asking a tough question for suicide prevention
By ERIK SLAVIN
Stars and Stripes
Published: November 17, 2010
YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan — “Are you thinking about killing yourself?”

It is one of the toughest questions that Petty Officer 3rd Class David Callahan and others who recently became “suicide first-aid responders” at bases in mainland Japan and Okinawa could imagine asking anybody. It is uncomfortable to do even in a role-playing exercise.

For Callahan, the courage to ask comes from knowing that the number of servicemembers dying by suicide has risen sharply over the past decade.

“Those people that died weren’t asked the question,” Callahan said last week by phone from Misawa Air Base. “Asking the question, no matter how hard or painful, might save a life — and that’s worth far more than the few minutes of discomfort that you’re going to feel.”

Despite military prevention efforts, the suicide trends in most services continue to alarm top leaders in 2010. However, the Navy’s efforts appear to have been more effective. Twenty-nine Navy suicides were reported as of November, down from 46 for all of last year, according to the Navy Personnel Command.

Suicide prevention experts say it is too early to claim success or attribute the potential drop to any one program. However, the Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training, which emphasizes a first-aid mind-set, is making passionate supporters out of sailors wary of annual training on so many other subjects.
read more here
Asking a tough question for suicide prevention

Veteran getting help instead of going to jail after standoff

Man arrested in standoff will be treated for PTSD
A man arrested after a standoff near Cooperstown, N.D., has been ordered to wear an electronic tracking bracelet for a year and receive treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder.
By: Archie Ingersoll, Grand Forks Herald


A man arrested after a standoff near Cooperstown, N.D., has been ordered to wear an electronic tracking bracelet for a year and receive treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder.

Matthew Helm, 40, served in the first Persian Gulf War, and he was a helicopter door-gunner during fighting in the 1990s in Somalia in the 1990s, Helm’s attorney, Ralph Carter, said Wednesday.

“As a result of his service, he developed PTSD, and it was determined by the VA that he is 100 percent disabled,” Carter said.

Helm’s arraignment was set for Wednesday, but it was cancelled because his case was resolved earlier this month after he pleaded guilty to three misdemeanor assault charges in Nelson County and three misdemeanors in Griggs County, including disorderly conduct, preventing arrest and carrying a concealed weapon.

Helm must spend seven weeks in an inpatient PTSD treatment program at a veterans’ facility in Topeka, Kan., and 1½ years in an outpatient program. He was given credit for having served 158 days in jail.
read more here
Man arrested in standoff will be treated for PTSD

PTSD linked to hardened arteries

PTSD linked to hardened arteries

By Anne Harding, Health.com
November 17, 2010 12:47 p.m. EST
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) affects more than the mind
Disorder may damage blood vessels and increase the risk of dying early
Veterans who had PTSD were 48 percent more likely to die of any cause during the study

(Health.com) -- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) affects more than the mind. The disorder may damage blood vessels and increase the risk of dying early, according to new research presented today at an annual meeting of the American Heart Association.

The study included about 286,000 mostly male veterans between the ages of 45 and 81 who served in Iraq, Afghanistan, and conflicts dating back to the Korean War.

The vets with PTSD -- who accounted for roughly 10 percent of the study participants -- had more than double the risk of dying during the 10-year study compared to their peers who didn't have disorder, the researchers found.

Health.com: Depression, PTSD common among Iraq vets

Twenty-nine percent of the vets with PTSD died during the study, compared to 8 percent of the vets without PTSD. (The overall death rate in the study was 13 percent.)

The increased risk of death associated with PTSD held even after the researchers controlled for factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and smoking.
read more here

PTSD linked to hardened arteries

Police brace for protest at funeral for soldier

They say they believe they are serving God doing this. Some people must still believe in minor gods they have made up in their own minds because the God I know sent Christ and would not be happy about any of this.

Saul thought he was serving God too when he was hunting down Christians. Christ opened his eyes by making him blind and then he saw how wrong he was.  He became St. Paul living out his days serving Christ. Wonder what it would take to open their eyes and stop all this hatred?

Police brace for protest at funeral for soldier
Published: Tuesday, November 16, 2010

By Mitch Hotts
For The Oakland Press

St. Clair County law enforcers and military veterans groups are preparing for a potential protest by the Westboro Baptist Church at Wednesday's funeral service for a decorated soldier who died in action in Afghanistan.

The Westboro church, which is known for picketing at the funerals of American servicemen with anti-gay messages, has indicated in a news release on its website that members plan to preach their message "in respectful, lawful proximity" to the service for Pfc. Shane Reifert.

A number of local, county, and Michigan State Police officials met Monday to prepare a plan on how to handle the situation if the protesters show up.

"We have a strategic plan, but we're not releasing a lot of information at this point," said St. Clair County Sheriff Tim Donnellon. "The funeral is in Marine City and we're assisting their police department. We're hoping for the good of everyone that the protesters don't make it."

Shirley Phelps-Roper, daughter of church founder Fred Phelps, said late Monday that the group's busy schedule may prevent them from attending, although they do plan to picket an event Thursday at Wayne State University. Some members are already in Detroit.
read more here
Police brace for protest at funeral for soldier

The Beatitudes

He said:
3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 

12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
Sermon on the mount

The fallen soldiers are the ones blessed because they laid down their lives for the sake of their friends. Westboro group can't even lay down their posters. Hate like they have is not of Christ who also laid down His life for the sake of everyone!

pictures are from this article
http://militarytimes.com/blogs/battle-rattle/category/westboro-baptist-church-2/

Reporter helps get AWOL soldier help for PTSD

This shows what can be done when reporters care. It also shows something troubling. Spec. Hanks will get treatment for PTSD but off base and using his own insurance!

November 16, 2010 3:58 PM
AWOL Soldier Jeff Hanks "Looking Up" After Treatment
Posted by Armen Keteyian Leave Comment

On Tuesday, Army Spc. Jeff Hanks told CBS News that treatment for his PTSD-like symptoms was "looking up" - just one day after "hitting a wall" during a frustrating 10-minute meeting with a behavioral mental health counselor at Fort Campbell in Kentucky.

The Army's apparent change in attitude comes on the heels of a story I wrote yesterday about Hanks' treatment problems.

Today, Hanks said he would be receiving help through what he called a "military one-source" program. Treatment will take place off base and be covered by his insurance.

"Everything is looking up today," Hanks said. "I'm really excited about this treatment. I just want to feel better."

read more here
Looking up

link to story she wrote
Hitting a wall

8 Fort Campbell soldiers killed in Afghanistan

8 Fort Campbell soldiers killed in Afghanistan
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

FORT CAMPELL, Ky. -- Eight Fort Campbell soldiers were killed over the weekend in two separate attacks in Afghanistan.

Three soldiers were killed in Kandahar province on Saturday when a suicide bomber detonated a vest bomb in southern Afghanistan, the military said Tuesday.

They were
27-year-old Staff Sgt. Juan L. Rivadeneira of Davie, Fla.;
20-year-old Cpl. Jacob R. Carver of Freeman, Mo.; and
20-year-old Spc. Jacob C. Carroll of Clemmons, N.C.


Read more: Fort Campbell soldiers killed in Afghanistan

From ICasualties.org

11/15/10 DoD: Army Casualty Identified
Spc. David C. Lutes, 28, of Frostburg, Md., died Nov. 11 in Landstuhl, Germany, of wounds suffered when enemy forces attacked his unit with an improvised explosive device in Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, on Nov. 8. He was assigned to the 1st Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.

11/15/10 DoD: Army Casualties Identified
Spc. Shannon Chihuahua, 25, of Thomasville, Ga., died Nov. 12 in Kunar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using small arms fire and rocket propelled grenades. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Ky.

11-08-2010 US Vargas, Anthony Specialist 27 Hostile - hostile fire - IED attack Nangarhar Nangarhar U.S. Army Pennsylvania Reading 1st Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) Fort Campbell, KY

11-08-2010 US Hutchins, Andrew Specialist 20 Hostile - hostile fire - small arms fire Khost Khost U.S. Army Maine New Portland 3rd Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) Fort Campbell, KY

11/15/10 DoD: Army Casualty Identified
Sgt. Edward H. Bolen, 25, of Chittenango, N.Y., died Nov. 10 in Logar province, Afghanistan, of wounds suffered when insurgents attacked his unit using small arms fire and an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 30th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division (Light Infantry), Fort Drum, N.Y.

11/15/10 journalnow: Soldier from Clemmons killed in Afghanistan
Army Pfc. Jacob C. Carroll of Clemmons has been killed while fighting in Afghanistan, according to the Department of Defense. The Journal's newsgathering partner, WGHP/Fox 8, said the Department of Defense announced the death of Army Pfc. Jacob C. Carroll who was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan
http://icasualties.org/OEF/Fatalities.aspx

VA Pilots Expedite Payments to Disabled Veterans

VA Pilots Expedite Payments to Disabled Veterans

'Quick Pay' and 'Express Lane' Initiatives Work to Cut Processing Time

WASHINGTON (Nov. 16, 2010)- VA has launched two pilot programs to test
new procedures that will speed the payment of Department of Veterans
Affairs (VA) compensation benefits to Veterans with disabilities
connected to their military service. These new programs are part of
Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki's effort to "break the
back" of the disability claims backlog.

"A fundamental goal in the transformation of VA's claims processing is
to make sure that Veterans receive in a timely manner the benefits they
earned through their service to our Nation," Shinseki said. "VA's
ambitious tests of numerous innovations reflect our commitment to
constantly improving how we meet our mission of responsiveness to
Veterans, their families and survivors."

The "Quick Pay" Disability Program at the St. Petersburg, Fla., Regional
Office and the "Express Lane" Pilot, based at the Seattle, Wash.,
Regional Office, are among a number of new initiatives using
reengineered and streamlined claims processes to provide Veterans with
faster claims decisions and benefit payments.

Secretary Shinseki established as one of VA's highest priority goals the
elimination of the disability claims backlog by 2015, so that all
Veterans receive a quality decision on their claim in no more than 125
days.

The "Quick Pay" Disability initiative is designed to speed disability
compensation to Veterans who provide sufficient evidence at the time of
claim submission to decide all or part of their claim. Since program
launch, "Quick Pay" has paid more than $2 million in benefits to 1,656
Florida Veterans. These payments averaged $1,236 monthly and were made
three months faster than the department's 125-day goal.

Under the "Express Lane" Pilot program based in the Seattle Regional
Office, staff members are realigned to address disability claims based
on claim complexity.

Like a supermarket check-out "express lane," small employee teams focus
on rapidly processing numerous less complex claims that typically
involve only one disability, thus freeing their co-workers to process
the more complex and multiple-disability claims that demand the greatest
level of unilateral effort.

The "Express Lane" Pilot, while managed from Seattle, is also being
tested at three additional VA regional offices: Nashville, Tenn.; St.
Paul, Minn.; and Muskogee, Okla.

The St. Petersburg and Seattle pilots are among more than three dozen VA
initiatives exploring optimal ways to organize and deliver benefits and
improve service to Veterans.

For additional information on VA's claims transformation activities,
visit VBA Questions about benefits for
Veterans may be directed to VA's toll free benefits number at
1-800-827-1000.

Life Won’t Be Same for MoH Recipient Staff Sgt. Giunta

Life Won’t Be Same for MoH Recipient Giunta
November 16, 2010
Stars and Stripes|by Leo Shane III

WASHINGTON -- Staff Sgt. Salvatore Giunta has made no attempt to hide just how uncomfortable he is with the attention and accolades surrounding the Medal of Honor that he’ll formally receive on Tuesday.

“I’m a regular line Soldier, so this is a new world, sitting out here under these lights in the field with these cameras pointed on us, talking with a little, secret earpiece,” he said during a Pentagon press conference in September, shortly after his name and story were made public. “It’s definitely interesting and exciting.”

It was also a preview of a new reality for Giunta, the first living Medal of Honor recipient for actions in the current wars.

Watch it live: The Medal of Honor Ceremony will stream live online this afternoon.

He is no longer a regular line Soldier. He’s the first living active-duty servicemember to be awarded the nation’s highest honor for battlefield heroics since the Vietnam War, a role that automatically sets him apart from his peers.

“The minute that medal goes around your neck, your life changes,” said Doug Sterner, a military historian who runs the Home of Heroes website. “He now has a different role to serve.”

On Tuesday, Giunta will receive the medal at a White House ceremony. He’ll stand on stage before his family, fellow Soldiers and Defense Department leaders as President Obama describes the heroism the 25-year-old displayed on Oct. 25, 2007, when he challenged a pair of Taliban fighters at point-blank range to rescue a wounded comrade who was being dragged away. And then he’ll shake the president’s hand and receive his medal as dozens of photographers and video cameras record every second.

Army officials haven’t said what Giunta’s future responsibilities will entail, or whether he’ll be allowed to deploy again to Afghanistan with the 173rd Airborne Brigade. During his unit’s last rotation, he was kept behind as part of the rear detachment’s support mission.
Sterner said any future combat is unlikely.
read more here

Life Won’t Be Same for MoH Recipient Giunta

Guardsman accidentally kills self cleaning gun

Guardsman accidentally kills self cleaning gun
The Associated Press
Posted : Monday Nov 15, 2010 16:09:25 EST
CLEVELAND, Tenn. — A Tennessee Guardsman has died in an accident the night before a ceremony to honor his unit's service in Iraq.

The Cleveland-based 252nd Military Police Company of the Tennessee Army National Guard served a 10-month combat tour without a single casualty. But on Saturday night, Spc. Joshua Meeks accidentally shot himself in the head while cleaning a new 9mm pistol.

"He loved the Army more than anything in the world," Spc. Mark Michaels told the Chattanooga Times-Free Press. Michaels, who served with Meeks and was also his brother-in-law, said he witnessed the accident. He and several other members of the unit were staying with the Meeks before the ceremony.

Marion County Sheriff Bo Burnett said deputies got a call at around 10:30 p.m. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the county medical examiner also responded.

"He was cleaning the gun at a table and evidently didn't know there was still one in the chamber," Burnett said.

The Sunday afternoon "Freedom Salute" ceremony in Cleveland went forward without Meeks. Many said they were shocked by the news of Meeks' death.

"I got the call at about 1 a.m.," 1st Sgt. Michael Plemons said. "I couldn't sleep, just thinking how would I tell everyone."
read more here
Guardsman accidentally kills self cleaning gun/

Coming home from “vacation”

Coming home from “vacation”
November 16, 2010 posted by Chaplain Kathie

Thanksgiving is coming next week as people are planning trips back home to spend with family. They think about what to pack, the people they will be able to spend time with again, but above all, returning to where their memories pull them back to, home again.

Others will travel for Christmas thinking back to fond memories of growing up, Santa coming and remember how they always seemed to get exactly what they wanted, longed for and then after a few weeks, forgot about as it collected dust in a closet.

It seems as if all during the year, someone is heading off to somewhere on vacation. They are missed even if it is just for a week or two. We wonder what they are doing, what they are seeing, what the weather is like and what the people are like. When they return we are happy to see them, want to hear all about their trip, see their pictures or watch the video they put together.

There are others packing bags, making plans, finishing off taking care of things they need to do before they leave, like making sure their wills are up to date, their life insurance policy is in the proper place, things around the house are fixed but they are not happy about the time they will be away from home. They leave one family to be with their other family all wearing the same clothes to get onto planes heading for a vacation into hell.

They are gone for a year and they are missed. An empty bed waits for the spouse at the end of the day trying to get by with one less person in the house. Kids off to sleep without Dad or Mom reading them a story, tucking them in and one less kiss good night. Instead of being curious about what the soldier is seeing and doing, they are worrying about all of it. They fear a phone call or a strange car pulling up in their driveway. Birthdays and anniversaries pass with someone missing along with holidays. Then they come back home.

When they come home they are greeted at the airport. They may be given a party to welcome them home again but no one wants to see pictures, watch videos they put together or ask any questions at all. A year in a strange country few others will ever see but no one wants to hear anything about it. A year gone from friends and family but most people want to forget they were ever away from them.

This vacation is one no one wants to share because it is just too hard to deal with the fact wars are brutal. We don’t want to look at them knowing their eyes saw horrors in real life, that their hands held a machine gun that was fired at other people or held the lifeless body of a friend. We don’t want to hear anything about any of it because it is just too hard to see them as someone we are not used to seeing.

A Dad who hugged his wife and took out the trash was someone who carried a weapon on his shoulder. A Mom who baked cookies for after dinner, dressed up for church and sung songs as her child sat on her lap, ran to help other soldiers after a bomb exploded. The deployed soldier is not the person the family knows so when they come home, it has to be forgotten about as if it didn’t happen.
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Coming home

Without priests, Catholic military personnel seeking out Protestant pastors

Without priests, Catholic military personnel seeking out Protestant pastors

Baltimore, Md., Nov 16, 2010 / 12:54 am (CNA).- Military Archbishop Timothy Broglio told bishops at their annual gathering in Baltimore that the U.S. military is facing an alarming shortage of priests that is increasingly leading Catholic servicemen to seek help from Protestant pastors.

Calling it a “pastoral problem” that “affects all of us,” Archbishop Broglio appealed to bishops across the U.S. during the annual Nov. 15-18 meeting in Baltimore to consider sending more priests to help serve in the military.

“As you know, the Archdiocese for the Military Services assures the pastoral care for people from your respective particular churches,” he told the bishops. When these people “hang up their uniforms and return home,” he added, “I would like to be able to return them to you as Catholics.”

Approximately one fourth of active duty personnel – 400,000 people – and their immediate families are Catholic, he said.

At present, these Catholics “are served by only 275 priests in a territory that covers the globe,” the archbishop noted. “Those numbers will shrink in the coming years.”

Because many in the armed services often face grave situations, he said, questions about the meaning of life and the existence of God often surface.
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Without priests, Catholic military personnel seeking out Protestant pastors

Wounded Times Blog number 4 on 50 Top Expert Bloggers for PTSD

Wounded Times Blog number 4 on 50 Top Expert Bloggers for PTSD

I am honored to be on this list and totally thrilled Lily Casura at Healing Combat Trauma is in the first spot! (Plus she is one of my best friends. Way to go Lily! So proud of you.

The Top Expert Bloggers Shedding Light on PTSD

The Top Expert Bloggers Shedding Light on PTSD

These bloggers make the diagnosis and treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder the focus of their blogs.

1. Healing Combat Trauma : If you need some tips on reading about PTSD, this blog does not disappoint. Lily Casura is a published writer whose interests are on veterans, particularly with PTSD and related issues such as the social, medical, and legal. Categories include everything from academic papers to yoga for PTSD.
2. PTSD : Dr. Matthew Tull conducts research on anxiety disorders (specifically PTSD) and substance use problems. He has published extensively in these areas and is the recipient of grant funding from the National Institute of Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health. Must reads on his blog include the symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of PTSD.
3. Trauma Blog : This clinical social worker specializes in the treatment of trauma. They use EMDR, a therapeutic tool that helps people move from chaos to integration. Daily life, tips, and much more are discussed on the blog.
4. Wounded Times : This blog’s tagline is “PTSD does not have to win as long as we care enough to learn.” With that in mind, Chaplain Kathie blogs to show others they are not alone. A recent entry was on the slashing of military benefits.

Are you following the King of Kings or master of greed?

If you still quote Leviticus then you need to be reminded of something very important.

Matthew 26
26-29 (New International Version)


26 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”

27 Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

Christ is and was the New Covenant between God and man. Christ gave a lot of lessons missing in today's culture. Greed is good now and we see that with the fighting to retain the tax cuts for rich people at the same time some politicians are talking about ending a lot of programs average Americans need and the poor need even more. There was a time when people would be ashamed to call themselves Christian and then fight against the poor for the sake of the rich.

The average citizen of this country needed jobs but some politicians were allowed to just stop the bills from being voted on in order to help them and help small businesses hire workers back. They needed help to make it when they couldn't find jobs, had to live off of unemployment checks when they wanted to work but then saw no jobs coming while their checks stopped coming.

Taking away a right from people they view as sinful is another thing that some in this country got wrong because there is a double standard against what is thought of as an acceptable sin and one that is just too sinful to allow. Sex outside of marriage is a sin according to the bible but when some people get married over and over again, that is a sin in the bible as well as having an affair or just sleeping around, but we allow them as long as they are with members of different sexes. Many quote from the Old Testament about gay relationships and they use the words of St. Paul but then they ignore the rest that would apply to their own sin. While we do not make it illegal to have sex without being married or make it illegal to get a divorce, some want to make it illegal for two women or two men to have a relationship no matter how devoted they are to each other because it is viewed as a sin in their eyes. All of this yet Christ did not say anything about gays even though we know from historical accounts there were gay people walking on the earth. Even with the woman accused of adultery, Christ stopped the mob from stoning her to death, but we forget that He did not condemn her.

So they justify hating someone using Leviticus when it was also written that eating shellfish was an abomination just as wearing cloths made out of different fabrics. Why is it they don't live up to everything else that is written in the same book they love to quote?

If you read the words of Christ there is something that should jump out at you right away. That Christ was all about taking care of the poor and not judging them, that the rich were getting their reward now while serving the master of wealth instead of their fellow man and that we are to love one another instead of condemning them.

There are some talking about the debt our kids will inherit but they don't talk about our kids not having a home because it was just foreclosed on because Mom and Dad lost their jobs or how today they are living in shelters.

They don't talk about how they cannot go to the doctor to stay well getting check ups or how they have to wait to see if it passes before their parents have to take them to the emergency room because they can't afford to pay for the insurance to take care of them today. Or about their eduction so that they can build their own future and have a better life than their parents have today. Some common need to be able to see a doctor is being part of a heated debate people want to take away? This is about insurance for heaven's sake yet others talk about a debt generations away when their lives are falling apart today?

Some people don't want to pay any taxes at all yet they receive social security checks, get government health insurance under Medicare and Medicaid or the VA, all tax payer funded programs and they still want police, fire and emergency responders along with roads that are not filled with potholes, bridges that aren't falling apart, clean water to drink and medications that are safe to take because of the FDA, another government program watching over our people. They want safe food to eat but they don't want to pay for the bill to get it. They want a strong military but don't want to pay for the care of the troops being sent to do it or take care of the veterans who did it and paid the price with their bodies and minds.

Christ said in Mark 12
(King James Version)

17And Jesus answering said unto them, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's. And they marvelled at him.

When politicians decided to just borrow money to give to the rich with tax cuts, they said it would help give people jobs but we lost more jobs doing this after we gained jobs by ending the tax breaks for the rich under Clinton. When you bring this fact up to them they talk about how he cheated on his wife while most of us were working and buying houses and putting our kids education into a plan to get them into college. That was the future we were worried about but today some want us to fear a Bogeyman so we won't see what is behind the door we really need to be afraid of.

They didn't pay for the tax cuts but they want us to pay for them when they don't help us by taking away what we need today to survive.  They didn't pay for the wars or even put them into a budget but then complained when President Obama thought they were important enough to include which drove up the real debt instead of hiding it.  They didn't want to pay for the wounded two wars were making any more than they wanted to pay for the veterans other wars wounded or made ill because contractors didn't care about chemical exposures adding to the risk they were taking on.

See we can make things really simple instead of just using a few words here or there that may sound good at the moment or we can make things better by actually thinking about them.

For me, I'll take what Christ said any day over what some people claiming to be Christian have to say about what He fought against and died for! If you want to fight for the rich, then you fight against Him.  If you want to hate, then you fight against Him.  If politicians fight against the majority of the people in this country for the sake of them rich, then they are serving the rich as their master and not taking care of the people who voted for them. So who will your congressman/woman fight for? Whose side are they really on?

Matthew 25
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

What did you learn in church today? Have you been living up to it or have you been living for the other master?

Caregivers of Veterans Face Greater Stress

Caregivers to give up a lot to do it and yes, we have to put ourselves aside, but that is what you are supposed to do for family. I am not "proud" to serve taking care of my husband but honored because I am proud of him. He has overcome so much that I wouldn't have missed a day of it. Don't get me wrong, there were times when it seemed almost impossible but looking back now, it is just what I did for my husband and he would have done it for me if things were turned around.

Nov. 10, 2010, 7:00 a.m. EST

Caregivers of Veterans Face Greater Stress, More Years of Care Than the National Average, Yet Are Proud to Serve

WASHINGTON, Nov 10, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- The first national study to give a voice to family caregivers of veterans reveals that they are twice as likely as family caregivers(1) of adults overall to consider their situation highly stressful, and yet 94 percent of them are proud to serve.

The study, released today by the National Alliance for Caregiving (NAC) and funded by United Health Foundation, finds that family caregivers of veterans face a higher burden of care, both in intensity and duration, often supporting a spouse or partner over a longer period of time than typical family caregivers. These caregivers also are predominantly women (96 percent) compared to the national average (65 percent), and many make sacrifices to their own health and jobs to care for their loved ones.

The Caregivers of Veterans - Serving on the Homefront study is the first in-depth look at family caregivers of veterans and provides unique insights into the effects of caregiving for a veteran on the caregivers' own health, work and home life. The study also provides a look at caregiving across the age spectrum representing caregivers of veterans from World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, Desert Storm, Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.

"The family caregivers who serve our country's veterans are making huge sacrifices in terms of their own health, careers and home life," said Reed Tuckson, M.D., United Health Foundation board member and executive vice president and chief of medical affairs, UnitedHealth Group. "The data indicate that these 'homefront heroes' are proud to serve in the role of caregiver for their loved ones. Yet it is incumbent upon all of us to help them find support and solutions to preserve their own health and well being, as well as that of the veteran. It is important that relatives, friends, and neighbors seek out opportunities to provide respite and other supportive services to these caregivers."

read more here
Caregivers of Veterans Face Greater Stress

Agent Orange Quilt of Tears balloon release

Agent Orange Quilt of Tears
There is a video on this site plus news reports for the sake of our Vietnam Veterans dying of Agent Orange.

get the tissue box

Department of Social Services investigating homeless shelter for veterans

DSS investigating Good Neighbor Center
By Renee Dudley
rdudley@postandcourier.com
Sunday, November 14, 2010



A state agency is investigating the Good Neighbor Center, a 32-bed, taxpayer-supported North Charleston homeless shelter for veterans, for food stamp fraud.

The S.C. Department of Social Services inquiry comes on the heels of a Post and Courier report showing that shelter Executive Director Nancy Cook doubled her salary to nearly $130,000 between 2007 and 2009.

Cook and the president of her board of directors refused comment for this story.

Other new findings from The Post and Courier show that a $542,100 grant, awarded to the Good Neighbor Center by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in 2008, is unaccounted for in the nonprofit shelter's tax filings.

But even as Lowcountry servicemen were feted at Veterans Day parades and ceremonies last week, national and local Veterans Affairs officials refused to respond to the Post and Courier's latest questions.

Cook and Bobby Knight, the president of the shelter's board of directors, did not return e-mails or messages left with their office and personal phones throughout the week.

On Thursday, Veterans Day, a reporter attempted to contact Cook for comment at her East Montague Avenue office. Addressing the reporter through drawn blinds, Cook shouted her only comment for the story: "Go away."

Don Gibson, a lawyer for the Good Neighbor Center who was once listed as a board member, also refused to answer questions when reached by phone Thursday.

"I will not discuss my client's legal issues," he said before hanging up abruptly.

read more here
DSS investigating Good Neighbor Center

Burn pits leave burning questions

DAV Magazine
As reported in this article Burn Pits from the DAV Magazine, Balad Air Base and Anaconda were exposing troops to toxic fumes. By 2006 there were 25,000 men and women there.

Balad dioxin level was 51 times higher than what the DOD would even think was acceptable with particulate level 50 times higher, yet the risk of exposure, "twice as high" as acceptable, was something to avoid doing anything about including warning the troops and their families back home. Given the fact many Marines are unaware of the toxic exposure they and their families lived with 

CAMP LEJEUNE WATER CONTAMINATION : Veterans Today

this is not so unusual just as exposure to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War was kept from them.

"Hundreds of thousands of tons of trash were burned daily." This left another bitter legacy far beyond what war is supposed to do. It is one thing to be fearing bullets and bombs and another to fear what your own military is doing to you.

For Kelly Kennedy, the reporter covering this story that has yet to ended, the DAV gave her an award for her work on reporting this issue few in this country are aware of. How many years will it take to get a proper accounting and fully know the health problems from this is any one's guess but if Vietnam is any indication of how slowly things get done, most of these veterans' kids will be going off to college by the time they get real answers.

Maj. Gen. David Blackledge, unashamed to talk about his own battle with PTSD

This man is a true leader when it comes to talking about his own battle with PTSD. He is not ashamed and no one else should be of having a reaction to traumatic events in combat. For any other officer out there still trying to get rid of soldiers with PTSD, remember him the next time you are faced with helping them heal or getting them out. For soldiers out there thinking there is no hope of healing and having a better life, read his story and know nothing is impossible.

A general speaks out about his battle with PTSD

By John Ramsey
Staff writer

While everyone else danced at a New Year's celebration to start 2008, Maj. Gen. David Blackledge couldn't stop picturing a suicide bomber blowing up the ballroom.

After nearly losing his life twice during consecutive deployments, Blackledge rarely felt safe.

He couldn't shake the nightmares. He couldn't control his temper. He couldn't focus.

"I started to think, well, this is just the way it's going to be," Blackledge said.

But later that year, after his routine physical, he described his symptoms to a doctor.

Classic post traumatic stress disorder, the doctor said. He sent Blackledge to behavioral health, where he saw a psychiatrist and a psychologist.

They confirmed the diagnosis and told the general they could help.

Now Blackledge - commander of the Army's Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command - is speaking publicly about his invisible wounds to let other warriors know their reactions to combat are normal.
read more here
A general speaks out about his battle with PTSD

These Scars Are Sacred: Vets dealing with PTSD

These Scars Are Sacred: Vets dealing with PTSD

Veterans find help in battle for mental health

Veterans find help in battle for mental health (videos)

By David S. Glasier
DGlasier@News-Herald.com

Helping veterans of military service overcome mental-health challenges is the life's work of Dr. Edgardo Padin-Rivera, Ken Smith and Dr. Tina Brown.

Padin-Rivera is chief of psychological services and coordinator of post-traumatic stress disorder programs for the Louis Stokes Cleveland Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

He is a nationally recognized authority on the diagnosis and treatment of PTSD, an anxiety disorder triggered by exposure to military combat, terrorist attack, sexual or physical assault, torture or natural disasters such as a hurricane or earthquake.

Delayed diagnosis

Tim DeWolf was a changed man, and not for the better, when he finished his hitch in the U.S. Army in 1970. The agent of change was a 14-month tour of duty in Vietnam.

"I went right from the wrestling team at North (High School) to the Army," DeWolf said. "Within a year, I was in combat. Three and a half years later, I was on the street as a civilian. Sure, you change."

DeWolf was prone to depression, fits of anger and irrational behavior.

"If I lost my car keys, I might destroy the house looking for them. Nothing was right unless I found those keys," he recalled.

It wasn't until 2001 that the then 53-year-old Mentor resident got into a Veterans Administration counseling program and was determined to have a significant disability caused by PTSD. The diagnosis brought clarity not just to DeWolf but to his wife, Lee Ann.

"We got married in 1982, and for the longest time we thought he was an idiot who was angry all the time," Lee Ann DeWolf said. "He would just blow up. I lived with it. My kids lived with it. All those years, what was bothering him didn't have a name. Then they tell us about PTSD and it's like, ‘Oh yeah. That's about right.' "

read more here

Veterans find help in battle for mental health

Driver Sought In Motorcycle Crashes That Killed 5

Driver Sought In Motorcycle Crashes That Killed 5

Investigators: Car Trying To Pass Motorcycles Caused Crash

OCOTILLO, Calif. -- Authorities were looking for the driver of a car that tried to pass a group of motorcycles and caused another car to lose control on a desert highway, triggering a crash that killed five people and injured six others, officials said.

Seven motorcyclists - members of a club celebrating its 10th anniversary - were ensnared in the collision on two-lane Route 98 near Ocotillo, a few miles north of the Mexico border and 80 miles east of San Diego.

Two men and two women motorcyclists died at the scene Saturday before paramedics arrived, Imperial County Fire Department Capt. Peter Stanton told The Associated Press. One passenger from a car was also killed.
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Driver Sought In Motorcycle Crashes

America Ferrera talks about Dry Land and PTSD

Ugly Betty star ready for the big-screen as hit fashion show comes to an end
Nov 14 2010 Exclusive by Steve Hendry, Sunday Mail
THE glitzy world of fashion has made America Ferrera a star.
Starring as Ugly Betty Suarez, the dowdy secretary who uses her brains to negotiate the bitching and backbiting of the fashionistas at glossy magazine Mode, has hurled her into the big-time.
The fourth and final series of the hit Channel 4 show ends next month but America is ready for new challenges.
The 26-year-old, who finished filming on the show in April, said: "It's scary and exciting but my memories of my experience on Betty will forever be beautiful.
"I got so much out of those four years of my life, not just as an actor but in friendships and family.
"I grew up. I learned a lot and I got to work in a really great job. I was a Close couple: America is making a film with her fianc› Ryan part of something which meant a lot to other people.
"All I have are good memories. That's the reason why it's easy in some ways and hard in others to walk away."

Ugly Betty is a world away from her new movie, The Dry Land.
America plays the wife of a US soldier - Ryan O'Nan - who returns home to Texas from Iraq suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.
As he battles his demons, he trashes their home in a drunken rage and almost chokes her to death in the middle of a nightmare.
It is tough, gritty stuff but America takes full responsibility for the dramatic change of direction. She acted as an executive producer on the film, which was written and directed by her fianc›, Ryan Piers Williams.
She said: "I signed on to be an executive producer on the project before the first draft was written.
"I didn't plan on acting in it and then, as the project went on and we developed the script and found Ryan (O'Nan), we started talking about me.
"I was kind of drawn to the character anyway but we had to get the lead guy and see what made sense."
America threw herself into it and prepared for the role by talking to women who have lived with the effects of PTSD.
She said: "Ryan had submitted the script to the US Army for their support, which made it much easier for us to contact people.
"I spoke to women whose husbands had come home from the war, some with PTSD, some without, some with symptoms which weren't diagnosed.
"Those conversations were the central point of my research.
"Ptsd or mental wounds are very isolating for the surrounding family and friends, not just when they come back but when they are away as well. Spouses are just left to carry on, take care of the children, provide income, go about life with your partner in what you think is constant danger.
"What kind of extra stress and toll does that put on a spouse and how invisible do they feel when they are sacrificing just as much and working just as hard?
"But that's not really what anyone thinks about. It's always how is the one who is away - are they safe, are they okay, when are they coming back?
"When they do come home, it's be sensitive, walk on egg shells and give them time. Yet, as a spouse - as anyone who has been in a relationship will know - you are meant to be in it together."

read more here
Ugly Betty star ready for the big screen

KBR knew of exposure in Iraq

Documents: KBR knew of exposure in Iraq
By Tim Fought - The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Nov 12, 2010 21:38:25 EST
PORTLAND, Ore. — Months after arriving on the job in 2003, a U.S. defense contractor trying to restore Iraq’s oil fields had blood and urine tests showing personnel with “significant exposure” to a toxic, cancer-causing industrial chemical, according to federal court documents.

The documents, first disclosed Thursday by The Oregonian newspaper, are part of a lawsuit National Guard troops filed in federal court in Portland against the contractor — Kellogg, Brown and Root of Houston. The troops allege they have health problems and increased risk of cancer and were exposed well after the dangers of sodium dichromate were known.

The company had a no-bid contract from the Bush administration, which hoped Iraqi oil revenue would help pay for the war.

Guard soldiers from Oregon, Indiana and West Virginia who provided security at the Qarmat Ali water plant are involved in suits against KBR. Their lawyers cite minutes of an Oct. 2, 2003, meeting, held at the request of Iraqi oil officials, to discuss an investigation by health, safety and environmental staff members of KBR.

“Urine and blood sample showed elevated levels of chromium, meaning that there was a significant exposure,” said the notes attributed to a KBR official, Chuck Adams. “Cannot allow personnel to be exposed, company will be liable if let this happen.”

read more here
KBR knew of exposure in Iraq

ASSESSING COLLEGE VETERANS SERVICES PROGRAMS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NOVEMBER 12, 2010

Contact:
Susan R. Komives
CAS President
Komives@umd.edu
Phone: 301.405.2870
Web: www.CAS.edu

NEW STANDARDS PROVIDE A FRAMEWORK FOR ESTABLISHING AND
ASSESSING COLLEGE VETERANS SERVICES PROGRAMS

Washington, D.C. New standards responding to real-time student needs for military
service members, veterans, and their families transitioning from military service in higher
education have been released today by the Council for the Advancement of Standards in
Higher Education (CAS). CAS, composed of 39 collaborating professional associations
representing over 100,000 professionals in higher education, has developed Veterans
and Military Programs and Services (VMPS) Standards and Guidelines grounded in
scholarship through the work conducted by experts within the field of veterans and
military services. “The CAS standards and guidelines for Veterans and Military
Programs and Services are a culmination of the work of several experts and scholars in
the emerging study of and service to veterans in higher education,” stated Douglas
Franklin, Assistant Dean of Students at Ohio University and College Educators for
Veterans Higher Education (CEVHE) Board Member.

After many years of military conflict higher education has faced a wave of military service
members requiring more consistent approaches to meet their unique educational
needs. “Since the end of the Second World War, many colleges and universities have
provided services to military veterans, but not in ways that fully recognized the
educational aims of those students,” said Bob Ackerman, Professor of Educational
Leadership at UNLV and Student Veterans of America (SVA) Board Member.
“Consistent with the premise of the CAS Standards effort, these guidelines are intended
to provide direction to campus leaders as they implement programs and services
designed to support students, who are also military, veterans, and their families.”

“The CAS standards are a set of guidelines to assist schools in helping their student
veterans help themselves. They are not a “one-size-fits-all” standardization but rather
seek not to recreate the wheel on every campus as we can learn from the best practices
of each other” said John Mikelson, President College Educators for Veterans Higher
Education, Co-founder of the Student Veterans Association and the Director of Veterans
Affairs at Association of Non-Traditional Students in Higher Education

CAS was established in 1979 to develop standards that promote college student
learning and promote self-assessment for institutional effectiveness. There are now 42
CAS standards in diverse areas of the college student experiences.

“ I fully support the CAS standards and guidelines of the VMPS. The standards are
greatly needed and a tremendous achievement that will ensure many veterans, service
members, and their families receive the outstanding higher education that they deserve.”
Doug Herrmann, Emeritus Professor of Psychology, Indiana State University and Past
President and Co-founder of the College Educators for Veterans Higher Education
(CEVHE)

The new Veterans and Military Programs and Services (VMPS) Standards and
Guidelines is available at www.cas.edu.

Veterans welcome renewed support for troops

From Point Man Ministries
Veterans welcome renewed support for troops

By Erica Rush, KCBY News

Story Published: Nov 11, 2010 at 3:44 PM PST

NORTH BEND, Ore. -On this Veterans Day, our nation comes together to honor the five branches of US Military, with our local Coast Guard branch flying over the David Dewett Veterans Memorial Wayside.

Developed by Veteran's group, Point Man Ministries, Outpost 101, the memorial in North Bend is a place for community members to come and honor those who have served, or who are now serving in the military.

Point Man, Hank Elsworth says it has given an outlet to folks to show their support, by also sponsoring bricks at the site.

"We are more aware of our active duty service and it has given us an opportunity to support them grater than we ever have in the past," said Elsworth.

What's more, is that a Color Guard has been formed from this project as well, where members bring their flags to the local airport and welcome service men and women coming home. Elsworth says it is a special kind of welcome home.

"It gives you chills, it actually does. I mean, it's such a wonderful ting to be able to do that." Elsworth adds, "Many of us that are doing it are from the Vietnam Era and we did not get a welcome home. So now it's our opportunity to do that and it feels really good to do it."

In addition to the Coast Guard fly by, the local Boy Scout Troop had a flag raising ceremony, and led the pledge of allegiance.

Also, if you're interested in sponsoring someone in the service by purchasing a brick, you can visit the memorial site, located North of the McCullough Bridge.
Veterans welcome renewed support for troops
On this Veterans Day, our nation comes together to honor the five branches of US Military, with our local Coast Guard branch flying over the David Dewett Veterans Memorial Wayside.

Marine's Mom sent home from Walmart for Marine T-shirt on Veteran's Day?

Walmart said it was not "up to dress code" but it was under her smock, so who would have see it? The other part that should bother all of us is why wouldn't a t-shirt supporting the military be up to Walmart's dress code standards? Don't they support the troops? Don't they support our veterans to have done this on Veteran's Day? This is not about supporting or opposing war but about a simple act of showing support for her son on a day that belongs to him and others as part of the minority of people willing to serve. Why would anyone complain at all about this or have a problem with this Marine's mom honoring her son?

Walmart employee sent home for wearing US Marine t-shirt on Veterans Day
Walmart says management only wanted to have a conversation about a dress code violation

Henry Rosoff
FOX6 Reporter
10:15 p.m. CST, November 11, 2010


WITI-TV, MT. PLEASANT —
People all over the country are honoring the veterans with patriotic clothing. One Walmart employee says when she tried to honor her son, a Marine who served in Iraq, she was told what she was wearing wasn't appropriate.

Charyl Effle's son Stg. Aaron Nelson was a Marine deployed in Iraq for more than a year. During that time Effle worked where she still does at Walmart in Mount Pleasant, WI. The employee of 12 years says what happened this Veterans Day inside Walmart is no laughing matter. She said, "The Assistant Manager came up to me, and said 'You are not in work apparel. You need to go home.'"

Fighting back tears, and clasping a picture Effle told FOX6 how she was sent home five hours into her shift for wearing a black Marine t-shirt under her blue uniform.

In a statement a Walmart Spokesman says the Associate Manager simply approached Effle about a dress code violation.
read more here
Walmart employee sent home for wearing US Marine t shirt

Army Reports Record Number of Suicides

This story still bothers me because of this "Iraq changed him, he came back kind of an angry man," and what the Army claimed in this same report that there didn't seem to be connections between deployment and suicide. At Fort Hood the majority of the victims had never been in combat, or had served only one tour, and none were connected to the mass shooting of soldiers here one year ago.
What do they mean by the "majority" when we're reading about suicides after they come home a lot more often than we read about any other history? For the men and women who did not deploy but committed suicide, is anyone asking why they would do it? Did it have anything to do with a combat death of someone they knew? Did it have anything to do with family issues? People commit suicide due to a lot of things but the one fact we cannot escape is they only do it because they lost hope that tomorrow can be any better for them. That loss of hope robs them of a reason to get up and try again.

Staff Sgt. Sarah Campbell Hester with her husband Richard Hester. Richard Hester committed suicide in 2006.  (CBS)

FORT HOOD, Texas, Nov. 5, 2010
Army Reports Record Number of Suicides
Unit Leaders Are Now Being Trained to Better Spot Warning Signs, Encourage Soldiers to Get Professional Help
By Don Teague
CBS) After returning from Iraq in 2006, Staff Sgt. Sarah Campbell Hester was looking forward to enjoying life, newly married to a soldier who had also just returned from war, reports CBS News correspondent Don Teague.

"He was just funny, he was the ultimate prankster, very solid with the unit," Hester said.

But secretly her husband was a man in crisis, unable to readjust to life after war.

"Iraq changed him, he came back kind of an angry man," Hester said.

One month after their wedding, Richard Hester, 34, committed suicide.

"I always sympathized with him, empathized I guess would be the word, and understood and never blamed him," Hester said. "And now I'm just like you left two little girls without a dad, you left me with a mess to deal with why would you do this?"

It's a question the Army is struggling to answer as well.

The Army's suicide rate is now double the national average. There were 162 suicides in Army ranks in 2009 - a record. Fort Hood has had a record 20 confirmed or suspected suicides this year, four in just one week in September.

And while it's clear the stress of nine years of war contributes to the problem, it's not the only cause.
Army Reports Record Number of Suicides

There should be no excuse. To lose them after they survived combat when they should be back home safe is inexcusable.

But it gets worse. With all the talk about the military getting geared up to do something about the suicides, this is what is going on they are not making public.

U.S. sending traumatized troops back again and again to war
‘These soldiers are broken. The point is to avoid harm. For these guys, it’s too late’
By BRYANT FURLOW 11/11/10 12:16 PM


ALBUQUERQUE– Searching to describe his Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms, Joseph Callan paused, his gaze momentarily distant.

“I see dead people,” he said, scoffing.

“In crowds, I’ll think, ‘that’s Howzer!’ or somebody else,” the former U.S. Marine Corps sergeant explained. “I know they’re dead. I saw them dead. But I feel compelled to confirm it’s not them, to see them from another angle. So I’m ducking through a crowd to get another look at them and it’s always just some random (person).”

Callan, now 32, joined the Marines when he was 18 years old, he told The Independent.

Surrounded by college students at an Albuquerque coffee shop near UNM, the great-grandson of a Navajo code talker and regional organizer for Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW) ticked off the other manifestations of his three combat tours in Iraq.

“Self-medication, alcohol mostly,” he said. “Short temper — angry all the time. And not caring. Just not caring. This detachment. That’s why school didn’t work out for me, I think. I just didn’t care. …And I’m reckless. I ride my motorcycle faster than I should.”

“I never stop thinking about Iraq,” Callen said. “It’s a constant presence. It’s always there.”

Throughout the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts, troops with combat-related traumatic brain injuries, called TBIs, or PTSD symptoms have routinely faced multiple deployments, Callan said.

“After the initial invasion, just about everybody I knew exhibited signs of PTSD – and we were all redeployed,” he recalled. “The Army and Marine Corps just needed warm bodies to stuff into slots. I’ve seen guys deploy with arms in casts. I saw (a Marine) deploy on crutches.”

Now, as a field organizer for IVAW, Callan wants to see an end to the practice of deploying troops with combat trauma. The organization’s “Operation Recovery” is a push to force the Pentagon to obey its own directive against deploying troops with PTSD, Callan said.

“These troops have a right to heal,” he said. “It’s inhumane and an awful practice to take somebody who is damaged and put them back in the environment that damaged them. They’re human beings. They break like regular humans.”

Some Marines who sought help were told they had to choose between “remaining deployable” and a “less than honorable discharge,” Callan said.
read more of this here
http://coloradoindependent.com/67268/u-s-sending-traumatized-troops-back-again-and-again-to-war

It is less than honorable to not take care of their wounds!

Female Medic's death in Iraq now ruled murder

Army reported Va. medic's death in Iraq as accidental, then self-inflicted, now murder
By Suzanne Kennedy, Don Parker
November 12, 2010 - 08:24 pm
ABC 7 News, TBD
The U. S. Army has changed its story more than once about the death of a Fredericksburg medic in Iraq.

First reported as accidental, then self-inflicted, the death has turned into a murder investigation.

When Specialist Morganne McBeth died in Iraq July 2, the death was first listed as resulting from non-combat injuries.

The 19-year-old's parents told the Fredericksburg Free Lance Star that they were then told that their daughter accidentally stabbed herself.

Next they heard McBeth was accidentally stabbed by someone else.

And eventually commanders told them two other soldiers were involved and the death had been classified as murder.
read more here
Army reported medic death

News reporter thinks a woman dying is funny

No excuse for this at all.

Megyn Kelly Overcome By Giggle Fit on Live Air (VIDEO)
by Jeremy Taylor, posted Nov 11th 2010 4:43PM

On 'America Live' (weekdays, 1 PM ET on Fox News) host Megyn Kelly was discussing a North Carolina woman who suffered a major heart attack but survived because doctors froze her body and resuscitated it two days later. This may not seem like a particularly funny story, but it was to Kelly, who was so amazed by the medical freezing concept that she burst out into uncontrollable laughter.
Megyn Kelly Overcome By Giggle Fit on Live Air /

Marine Runs Marathon in a Gas Mask to Raise Awareness

Marine Runs Marathon in a Gas Mask to Raise Awareness for Disabled Veterans
By Cristina Corbin
Published November 11, 2010 | FoxNews.com

Why would a U.S. Marine run more than 26 miles wearing a gas mask that restricts up to 30 percent of his oxygen?

To call attention to those who will never be able to run again.

One year ago, Marine Sgt. Jeremy Soles founded Team X-T.R.E.M.E. (Train, Rehabilitate, Empower, Motivate, Endure), a non-profit organization that raises awareness for wounded veterans. The group, which consists of five runners and five volunteer board members, attempts rigorous physical challenges to bring attention to the struggles of disabled service members.

So when Soles met Cpl. John Peck at Walter Reed Army Medical Center last month, the 33-year-old Marine had all the inspiration he needed for this year's challenge.

Peck, 24, had lost his arms and legs to a roadside bomb in Afghanistan in May. But when he met with Soles, his attitude was buoyant, and Soles decided he'd run the 26.2-mile Marine Corps Marathon in his honor.
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Marine Runs Marathon in a Gas Mask to Raise Awareness