Family needs help after soldier loses legs and has 17 operations

Anderson soldier loses legs in IED explosion, family asks for support
An Anderson soldier was seriously injured in Afghanistan during an IED explosion this October, and his family has been trying to stay by his side, but it has proven very costly. A fundraiser is now being held to help out.

By Ann Keil
December 1, 2011

Anderson, IN.

A soldier from Anderson, Ind. spoke with Fox59, using Skype, from his hospital bed at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. His mother was by his side.

"I sleep right here,” said Tamra Rigdon, the soldier’s mother. “I can show it to you. I don't know if you can see.”

Tim Senkowski's family received the devastating news on October 13. The soldier lost both of his legs above the knee, the muscle in his right arm and his entire left buttock. His team of doctors will also assess the likelihood of a traumatic brain injury and hearing loss.

"To tell my mom that her son is badly hurt, and to tell his wife, it was one of the worst things I've ever had to do in my life," said Summer Edgell, Senkowski's sister.

If you would like to write him a letter his address is below:

Timothy Senkowski
Walter Reid National Military Medical Center
Room 448, Building 10
8901 Wisconsin Avenue
Bethesda, MD 20889

Senkowski is expected to stay at Walter Reid for at least a year. He has already undergone 17 surgeries.

The family has set up business account, Timothy Frank Senkowski Family Fund, where donations can be made at a PNC Bank location.

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Traumatic injury pay now covers genital trauma

Traumatic injury pay now covers genital trauma
By Patricia Kime - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Dec 2, 2011 15:53:29 EST
Veterans whose genitals have been severely injured as a result of trauma are now eligible for a lump-sum payment under the Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance Traumatic Injury program, or TSGLI.

For males, the loss of one testicle would result in a $25,000 payment; of both, $50,000. The anatomical loss of a penis — or damage to the organ so severe it results in the complete loss of the ability to have sex — a $50,000 payment.

Women who lose external sexual organs, their uterus or vaginal canal would receive $50,000. Loss of one ovary would result in a $25,000 payment; of both, $50,000.

The VA announced the changes to the TSGLI schedule of losses Dec. 2. The change is due in part to the increase of these injuries among Afghanistan combat veterans, who conduct foot patrols and are vulnerable to attack from trailside improvised explosive devices.
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Jobless rate for veterans lower for men, higher for women

Jobless rate for veterans drops in November
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Dec 2, 2011 9:48:10 EST
The unemployment rate for veterans fell in November to 7.4 percent for all veterans and 11.1 percent for those who served in the Iraq and Afghanistan era.

At the same time that the national unemployment rate dropped from 9 percent in October to 8.6 percent in November, the rate fell 0.4 percentage points for veterans of all generations and a full 1 percentage point for people who separated from the service since the 2001 terrorist attacks.

The November report contains an unexplained disparity. For men who separated since 2001, the unemployment rate fell from 12.3 percent in October to 10 percent in November.

But for women of the same class of veterans, the unemployment rate climbed, from 10.9 percent in October to 18.7 percent in November, a jump that is likely the result of women veterans being a very small sample in the larger employment survey.
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VA suicide programs need more exposure

Experts: VA suicide programs need more exposure
By Andrew Tilghman - Staff writer
Posted : Friday Dec 2, 2011 14:23:16 EST
The Veterans Affairs Department has a myriad of programs to help prevent veterans’ suicide, but many — perhaps most — troubled veterans never get access to them, experts told lawmakers on Friday.

About 70 percent of all U.S. veterans have no contact with VA, making any program’s effectiveness limited.

“Why aren’t we buying targeted Facebook ads?” said Tom Tarantino, a former Army captain who is now with the advocacy group Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, testified at a hearing for the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee’s health panel.

Facebook would allow VA and others to “laser target” veterans and their families, he said. “We just don’t do that — and I don’t know why.”

Rep. David Roe, R-Tenn., pointed to several innovative ways to reach people, including a start-up effort by the Google online search engine to help better organize information about veterans’ services and also efforts by some cities to include veterans services on metropolitan 311 emergency phone lines.
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Indianapolis Veterans Affairs office has high error rate

Veterans Affairs office here has high error rate, audit reveals
Federal review shows mistakes in handling disability claims

Written by
Mary Beth Schneider


A federal audit of the Veterans Affairs Regional Office in Indianapolis found an alarmingly high number of errors in processing disability claims.

Of 80 claims the audit reviewed, a sampling of the far larger caseload the office handles, 33 -- or 41 percent -- were handled improperly.

In some cases, veterans were overpaid. Those overpayments totaled about $1 million -- money veterans apparently must pay back. In other cases, payments or approvals of benefits were delayed.

In all, the audit found problems in 16 cases that affected veterans' benefits in some way and 17 cases that had the potential to affect benefits. Three cases involved underpayment of benefits.
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Chaplain Corps Celebrates 236 Years

Chaplain Corps Celebrates 236 Years

December 01, 2011
U.S. Coast Guard|by Petty Officer 3rd Class Jonathan Lally

A lighthouse is a beacon of safety to mariners coming into a harbor or transiting through treacherous waters near shore. In many ways, a chaplain is like a lighthouse to military members and their families.

U.S. Navy chaplains have served the men, women and families of the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard for 236 years as leaders in spiritual matters. They are a resource for military members to confide in and get help in non-spiritual matters as well.

Since 1775 the chaplains have been guiding members of the nation’s sea services. Their rich history began with the Navy’s predecessor, the Continental Navy. Since the commissioning of the Navy’s first chaplain, William Balch, the chaplain corps has expanded to more than 850 members. These men and women serve the nation throughout the world.

Senate revises death benefits for reservists

Senate revises death benefits for reservists
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Dec 1, 2011 18:16:30 EST
A retroactive change in death benefits that would extend payment to reservists who die at home during drill weekends passed the Senate on Thursday by voice vote.

Retroactive to Jan. 1, 2010, death gratuity and burial benefits provided for active-duty deaths will be extended to reservists who die while at home during or between successive days of inactive duty training, under the amendment to the 2012 defense authorization bill sponsored by Sen. Mark Pryor, D-Ark..

Pryor’s interest is the result of a 2010 death of Army National Guard Capt. Samson Luke, a member of the 142nd Field Artillery Regiment, who lived about 15 minutes from his weekend training site of Fort Chaffee, Ark. While many members of his unit stayed in hotels on the weekend, Luke went home, where he died in his sleep after spending the day working in a cold warehouse.

Luke’s family initially received the military’s $100,000 death gratuity and $8,000 in other death benefits but were forced to repay the money for what Pryor said was “a classic case of getting pencil-whipped by the government.”
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V.A. Dom Prepares For More Returning Soldiers

We've all heard the term "too big to fail" when it comes to huge companies and millionaires. We've heard about the fact the rich are only 1% of the population, so the other 99% say they are really the ones "too big to fail" but congress doesn't seem to want to believe them. The Republicans in the Senate just voted down the tax breaks for the workers of this country.

Republican leaders shifting stance on payroll tax cut
By Tom Cohen, CNN
updated 5:31 AM EST, Fri December 2, 2011

House Speaker John Boehner concedes that extending the payroll tax cut would help the economy.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
NEW: The Senate blocks Democratic, Republican plans on a payroll tax cut extension
NEW: President Obama says Republicans voted for higher taxes on the middle class
House Speaker Boehner concedes the payroll tax cut helps the economy
Republicans differ with Democrats on how to pay for a one-year extension
Washington (CNN) -- A top Republican leader agreed Thursday with President Barack Obama and Democrats that extending the payroll tax cut would help the economy, but the parties remained divided over how to pay for the move.
Later Thursday, the Senate blocked competing Democratic and Republican proposals from moving forward, setting up negotiations on a possible compromise.
The Democratic plan to extend and expand the payroll tax cut set to expire at the end of the year would assess a 3.25% tax on income over $1 million to pay the cost of more than $200 billion for the extension. Taxpayers with an income of $50,000 would benefit by $1,500 a year.
Senate Republicans prevented Democrats from getting the 60 votes needed to proceed on the measure, which was blocked on a 51-49 vote.
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But that is really nothing new since the GOP has been fighting to protect the wealthy while the men and women risking their lives everyday end up coming back with the burden of war for the rest of their lives.

V.A. Dom Prepares For More Returning Soldiers

December 1, 2011
By Sharon Ko


WHITE CITY, Ore. -- The Department of Veteran Affairs new data shows more and more combat veterans are seeking help for post-traumatic stress disorder. Thousands of veterans are flooded hospitals, according to the Department. This increase is putting stress on several of the V.A. hospitals across the nation. As soldiers are expected to return home from Iraq near Christmas, more soldiers are going to need help.

The V.A. Dom in White City says they had a meeting Thursday to talk about how the hospitals are going to handle the influx. Doctors say they don' t have a set game plan quite yet. They say the PTSD clinic is still fairly new, starting up about seven months ago and with only five PTSD staff. They'll probably have to hire more staff, however, and start changing how they're going to admit patients into the hospital.

Those treatment groups and educational classes help combat vets cope with their experiences. Staff there says many returning soldiers can't cope with it by themselves and their spouses or family can't always help. The staff also say about 30 to 40 percent of their residences at the hospital are treated for PTSD.
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As bad as it has been for the troops coming home, it is about to get a lot worse when Iraq and Afghanistan wars are coming to an end and more will leave the military.

Wouldn't you like to see someone in congress fight for the troops and veterans as hard as they fight for the rich? Will congress ever get the fact that when it comes to them, they are "too important" to fail them?

Congress seeks national recognition for Vietnam vets

Congress seeks national recognition for Vietnam vets

By Bill Thompson
Staff writer
Published: Thursday, December 1, 2011
Ben Crosby recalls how gracious people were when he came home from his first combat tour in Vietnam. It was 1967, and as the young Army major, clad in uniform, passed through the civilian world, women hugged him, his drinks in airport bars came free and people were appreciative.

"It was really kind of nice," said Crosby, and not unlike the warm welcome contemporary veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan receive.

The second time, not so much. In 1971, Crosby, still a major, came home from a second year of fighting the Viet Cong. He was ordered not to wear his uniform outside the confines of his post. The risk from anti-war protesters, he was told, was too great.

"Nobody ever did anything to me," said Crosby, an Ocala resident. "But when I look back on it, it was pretty damn bad: a soldier told to put on civilian clothes because his countrymen were mistreating him."
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Civilian contractors from war zones not getting help for PTSD

As far as I know, this report is totally right in reporting that no one is tracking them and even fewer people are helping them. I track these reports all the time and have seen very little reports about civilian employees coming home and getting help.

Civilians often don't get PTSD help
Thursday, December 01, 2011

Gilbert Baez
More: Bio, News Team
FAYETTEVILLE (WTVD) -- Troops returning from war zones go through a rigorous reentry screening to check for signs of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD.

But, there are thousands of civilian contractors returning from Iraq and Afghanistan without any check for mental health problems.

Alice Redding is a computer systems engineer. She has spent more than a year in Iraq and Afghanistan as a civilian contractor setting up servers and computer systems for soldiers.

Redding has flown with the troops into combat zones wearing a flack jack and helmet and has come under fire. Now that's she's back home in Fayetteville, it's emotionally tough.

"I would wake up and realize I'm not there anymore. But it would take me a moment to realize that. And speaking to some of my friends that are retirees from the military, that do have PTSD, they recognize - they say hey you've got a touch of PTSD," she explained.
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