Grassroots group continues to help wounded warriors

Grassroots group continues to help wounded warriors
Sixth annual barbecue will move to new Walter Reed facility
By Ron MacArthur
Mar 28, 2012

Photo by: Ron MacArthurDelaware Community Appreciation Group organizers Butch and Linda Elzey take part in a benefit event at the Greene Turtle in Lewes.

Walter Reed has officially relocated to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. and now a local grassroots veteran support group says it's moving its annual barbecue to the new site, and its goal of helping wounded warriors remains steadfast.

For the past six years, the Delaware Community Appreciation Group has been raising money to provide a barbecue for wounded warriors at Walter Reed. During the event, organizers Butch and Linda Elzey hand out gift cards to wounded warriors to the tune of more than $200,000 over the years to hundreds of wounded soldiers to help pay for incidentals while at the hospital.

The group is planning its sixth annual summer barbecue at the new location. In addition, Elzey said DCAG is taking a slightly different approach to helping wounded warriors. “We are going to keep more of our money closer to home to help vets who are returning to Delaware,” he said.

He said it doesn't take a lot of money to make dramatic differences in veterans' lives. “Some vets are coming home to problems they don't know they have,” he said. “Some families are broken apart because of two to three or more deployments.”
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Nicholas Horner Trial:Victim's son says justice was served

Williams’ son: ‘We do feel justice was served’
March 29, 2012
By Kay Stephens and Amanda Gabeletto
The Altoona Mirror


HOLLIDAYSBURG - Family members whose loved ones were killed almost three years ago by Nicholas A. Horner left the Blair County Courthouse on Wednesday night with a sense of satisfaction.

"We felt the death penalty would have matched the crimes, but we do feel justice was served," said Matthew Williams as he stood on the courthouse patio, shortly after hearing that Horner, the man who killed his 64-year-old father almost three years ago, will never get out of prison.

"We don't think Mr. Horner got off easy by any means. He has a life sentence in prison, so we feel good about that. And we're also just happy to be done with this after three years."

Horner, 31, was convicted of first-degree murder Tuesday night. After additional testimony Wednesday, the jury deliberated about 75 minutes, until almost 9 p.m., before announcing that it couldn't decide between life in prison or death, which leaves the court to impose two life sentences.

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Nicholas Horner Convicted

Investigation clears Madigan's forensic psychiatrists of PTSD wrongdoing

Investigation clears Madigan's forensic psychiatrists of PTSD wrongdoing
by MEG COYLE / KING 5 News
Posted on March 28, 2012 at 6:28 PM
Updated yesterday at 6:41 PM

LAKEWOOD, Wash. -- They've been suspended from their jobs, their medical ethics questioned. They've even been subjected to death threats. All because Madigan's forensic psychiatrists reversed several PTSD diagnoses.
Those same doctors have reportedly been cleared in the first of three separate investigations.

Questions surrounded 17 cases in particular, and whether doctors deliberately lowered the number of PTSD cases to save the government money. Wednesday, the Army Surgeon General came under fire once again for the scandal.

On Capitol Hill today, Lieutenant General Patricia Hororo told a congressional subcommittee the army is reevaluating how it diagnoses soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder.

"We're looking at everywhere we have variance and we're looking at how we can decrease that variance and be able to ensure we have one standard across army medicine," she said.

Doctors at Madigan first came under fire earlier this year when it was revealed 17 soldiers initially diagnosed with PTSD were told they didn't have the condition afterall-- changes made when Madigan's forensic psychiatric team reviewed their cases.

Army Specialist Jared Enger says doctors were already treating his PTSD when he was told his diagnosis had been reversed by Madigan's forensic psychiatristic team. "Talking to a doctor on the phone trying to dispute the fact I didn't have PTSD while I was in an inpatient program for PTSD," recalls Enger.

But in at least one investigation--those same doctors appear to have been cleared.
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Sen. Murray questions Army Surgeon General about PTSD diagnoses at Madigan
The Joint Base Lewis-McChord medical center is under investigation

Web reporter
Q13 FOX News Online
7:08 p.m. PDT, March 28, 2012

Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., on Wednesday questioned the policies surrounding post-traumatic stress disorder diagnoses at Madigan Medical Center at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

Murray, chairwoman of the Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee and a senior member of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, questioned Lt. Gen. Patricia Horoho, the Army Surgeon General.
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Woman Accused of Helping 86-year-old WWII Vet Commit Suicide

Woman Accused of Helping 86-year-old Vet Commit Suicide

KTLA News
March 28, 2012

LAGUNA NIGUEL, Calif. (KTLA) -- Orange County sheriff's deputies have arrested a woman for allegedly helping an 86-year-old Laguna Niguel man commit suicide.

Elizabeth Barrett, 65, is accused of helping Jack Koency, a World War II veteran, kill himself with a cocktail of drugs on Sept. 30, 2011.

Koency's death at a senior living complex in Laguna Niguel was reported by Barret, a self-described social worker.

But, investigators say what may have initially seemed like a natural death turned out to be anything but natural.

The first sign of foul play came when sheriff's deputies found a motion-activated video camera that Koency had hidden in his apartment.

"He was part of the greatest generation," Deputy District Atty. Ebrahim Baytieh said about Koency.

"He fought in World War II, and unfortunately he came back and he suffered from depression, he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder. He was paranoid."
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Fort Campbell medic saves neighbor's child from choking

Fort Campbell medic saves child from choking
Mar. 28, 2012

FORT CAMPBELL, KY. — A Fort Campbell Soldier’s heroic act helped save the life of a 4-year-old boy from choking.

Spc. Katherine McIntire, an Army medic assigned to the 194th Military Police Company, 716th Military Police Battalion, 101 Sustainment Brigade, was awarded an impact Army Achievement Medal March 22, for saving the boy’s life.

“People think our job in the Army is focused on combat, but it is also about helping people,” said 1st Sgt. Christopher A. Barnes, company first sergeant. “Specialist McIntire was in the right place, at the right time, with the right training.”

The incident occurred Jan. 13. According to reports, McIntire was sitting on her couch watching television at home when she was startled by her neighbor screaming for help and stating that her son was choking. She ran toward the sound of yelling and saw the 4-year-old child lying face down on the floor.
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Nicholas Horner Pennsylvania Iraq war veteran convicted of first-degree murder

Pennsylvania Iraq war veteran convicted of first-degree murder
Published March 27, 2012
Associated Press

HOLLIDAYSBURG, Pa. – An Iraq war veteran has been convicted of first-degree murder in the shooting deaths of two people during a west-central Pennsylvania sandwich shop robbery nearly three years ago.

The Altoona Mirror says Blair County jurors deliberated for about five hours Tuesday night before convicting 31-year-old Nicholas Horner of Altoona in the shooting deaths of a 19-year-old clerk and a bystander during the April 2009 robbery.
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Veterans battle PTSD stigma -- even if they don't have it

Veterans battle PTSD stigma -- even if they don't have it

By Stacy Lu

Fresh from a tour of duty in Iraq where he earned a Bronze Star, Ryan Gallucci didn’t expect a simple job interview to be such a memorably unpleasant experience.

“I was interviewing with a P.R. agency when my military service came up. Some of the questions got a little prying. ‘Oh, so what did you do over there? And what was that like?’ ”

Though he was called back for subsequent interviews, Gallucci said the experience left a “sour taste in my mouth.” Now the deputy legislative director for the Veterans of Foreign Wars organization, Gallucci suspects the interviewer for that other job may have been more curious about his mental health than his experiences in Iraq.

Research shows he may be right: Some employers are wary of hiring veterans because of potential mental health issues.

“There’s a whole host of questions you can’t legally ask, but I must say that somehow in interviews it comes out,” says Jim Pabis, a Colonel in the New York Army National Guard and Iraq combat vet who runs an executive search firm in Saratoga Springs, NY.

Nearly half of employers -- 46 percent -- said PTSD or other mental health issues were challenges in hiring employees with military experience, according to a 2010 Society of Human Resource Managers survey. And a 2011 survey of 831 hiring managers by the Apollo Research Institute found that 61 percent were "less favorable" toward hiring military personnel when considering war-related psychological disorders.
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Looks like the government has done a lousy job of getting the truth out about PTSD. Over 2 million Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans and a tiny portion of them end up in the news in a bad way. The vast majority of them can't find work because of a few bad reports?

Here's a link to a story on this blog going back to 2010

Are veterans being discriminated over PTSD or just because they are veterans?

IAVA can't get a meeting with Department of Veterans Affairs?

Vets group disappointed with lack of VA meeting
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Mar 27, 2012
A band of 26 members of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America expressed one disappointment about its trip to Washington, D.C. — and even a bit of insult — for a group that arranged hundreds of meetings with top government leaders.

“The one meeting we couldn’t get was at the VA,” said Paul Rieckhoff, a former Army officer who is founder and executive director the group “In fact, we haven’t been able to get a meeting more than 1,000 days, which seems very odd considering all of the issues facing veterans that we would like to discuss.”

A key issue IAVA is pushing during its visit — which has become an annual trip to talk about unemployment, education and healthcare — is a membership survey that found widespread employment problems, general dissatisfaction with how the VA is treating mental health and trauma from sexual assault, and concerns about whether the VA and Defense Department are doing enough to tell veterans about what help is available.
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ABOUT IAVA

IAVA is the country's first and largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization for veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. With more than 200,000 Member Veterans and civilian supporters nationwide, IAVA is building the next greatest generation with a three-pronged model based on advocacy, awareness, and assistance. IAVA programs empower our community online and offline, and include Smart Job Fairs, our signature New GI Bill calculator and Community of Veterans, a veterans only social network.

Lake Nona Orlando VA hospital delays could cost $120 million

Orlando VA hospital delays could cost $120 million
March 27, 2012
By Mark K. Matthews, Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON -- The largest contractor building Orlando's overdue VA Hospital told Congress on Tuesday that red tape and design errors could add $120 million or more to the original $665-million price tag – an overrun that ultimately would fall on U.S. taxpayers.

The estimate, revealed during a hearing held by the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, is the first time the construction firm, Brasfield & Gorrie, has publicly attached a dollar figure to problems that have postponed the hospital's opening from next October to summer 2013, if not later.

The cost increase floored even veteran lawmakers, including U.S. Rep. Corrine Brown, a Jacksonville Democrat who has fought for years for the project.

"I am not a happy camper," Brown said. "That is unacceptable."
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Marine Clay Hunt's suicide causes group to take action

Group Aims To Help Young Vets With Civilian Life

Rick Collins Says 'Unseen Wounds' Aims To Guide Young Vet Away From Alcohol, Drugs, Isolation, Suicide

March 27, 2012

SAN DIEGO -- A local group is planning to give struggling young veterans entering civilian life some free help.

After fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, Clay Hunt – who was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder – left the Marines and became an advocate for veterans. A year ago – at the age of 28 – the Texas veteran committed suicide.

Rick Collins called him a friend.

"His death is an example of person who gave his life for service to his country," said Collins.

"When he left the service, the support wasn't there for him."

Hunt's death was one motivating factor in Collins' bid to heal the "unseen wounds."

Collins, who served with the British Royal Marines, is starting a free local program called "Unseen Wounds" to guide struggling young veterans away from the path of alcohol, drugs, isolation and suicide.
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Also on this story

Marine Clay Hunt another after combat casualty

Marine Clay Hunt's suicide not counted as "military suicide"

FBI says AWOL soldier stole Microsoft Paul Allen's identity

AWOL soldier stole Microsoft co-founder's identity, FBI says

Associated Press
March 27, 2012, 1:26 p.m.
An AWOL soldier's simple scheme to defraud one of the richest men in the world has landed him in federal custody, according to a criminal complaint.

In the complaint unsealed Monday, federal investigators allege Brandon Lee Price changed the address on a bank account held by billionaire Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, then had a debit card sent to his Pittsburgh home so he could use it for payments on a delinquent Armed Forces Bank account and personal expenses.

Price called Citibank in January and changed the address on an account held by Allen from Seattle to Pittsburgh, then called back three days later to say he'd lost his debit card and asked for a new one to be sent to him, an FBI investigator wrote in a criminal complaint filed in February.
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Dr. Frank Ochberg talks about Sgt. Robert Bales and the nature of PTSD

Sgt. Robert Bales and the nature of PTSD
by Steve Edwards
Mar. 27, 2012

Some, including his lawyers, say Sgt. Robert Bales, the soldier accused of killing 16 people in Afghanistan, may have been suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD. Others disagree.

Nevertheless, the incident, Bates' frequent tours of duty in Afghanistan and the growing violence in the country have put PTSD back in the spotlight. In fact, WBUR's On Point devoted an entire hour to the subject yesterday.

Of course, PTSD affects more than just soliders in war zones. It affects children and families living in such areas, victims of natural disasters, and some say, even affects the residents of some of Chicago's most violent neighborhoods.

Dr. Frank Ochberg was among the scientists who came to define PTSD during its earlier years.
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also

Frank M. Ochberg, M.D.



Gift From Within

Fort Campbell soldier's body discovered in lake

Soldier's Death Under Investigation
By WSIL Manager
Story Created: Mar 27, 2012

POPE CO. -- Illinois State Police are investigating the death of a soldier whose body was discovered at a Pope County lake.

The body of Timothy A. Clark, 21, of Fort Campbell, Kentucky, was found inside a vehicle submerged in the water at Lake Glendale.
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GI Bill Consumer Awareness Act to help veterans decide

Sens.: Grade schools that take GI Bill benefits
By Rick Maze - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday Mar 27, 2012 14:26:35 EDT
A new Senate bill proposes to create a consumer report card for every school covered by Post-9/11 GI Bill education benefits to disclose information about their policies on transferring credits to other schools, their average student loan debt, their course or degree completion rate, and how many graduates find jobs in their chosen fields.

The GI Bill Consumer Awareness Act is the latest effort by lawmakers to provide a warning to those using generous veterans’ education benefits that some schools may make big promises but deliver very little.

Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee chairwoman and chief sponsor of the bill, said it is a response to “stories of frustration, confusion and even manipulation.”

“We have seen that in certain instances, our service members and veterans have been misled just to boost enrollment of students with this very lucrative benefit,” she said, referring mostly to some for-profit schools that use recruiters or salespeople to sign up students.

“We have seen reports of veterans who utilize the benefit for one school only to find out that when they want to move on to graduate school, the degree they received from the first school is inadequate,” Murray said.
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Psychologist says Nicholas Horner was in a ‘dreamlike state’

Expert: Horner lacked intent
Psychologist says veteran was in a ‘dreamlike state’

March 27, 2012
By Phil Ray
The Altoona Mirror

HOLLIDAYSBURG - Nicholas A. Horner was in a "dreamlike state," or delirium, when he shot three people, killing two, during a 2009 robbery and getaway, a defense psychologist testified Monday in Blair County Court.

It was caused by repeated use of medication, and it also meant Horner was unable to form an intent to kill, psychologist Ernest Boswell of Minnesota said.

"He was operating at a different level," he testified.

Horner, who served three tours with the Army in Iraq, suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, but Boswell said it was not the cause of the April 6, 2009, incident at 58th Street Subway.

Horner, 31, is charged with killing Scott Garlick, 19, and wounding Michelle Petty, both Subway employees.
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