Combat PTSD: Understanding the menace of memories

Understanding should have started with the reporter getting some real numbers.

Combat PTSD: Understanding the menace of memories

Sunday, March 25, 2012 - Tango of Mind and Emotion
by Jacqueline Marshall
WASHINGTON, March 25, 2012 - The more combat situations a soldier experiences, the greater is his or her chance of acquiring post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Many of us consider that to be stating the obvious, but there are statistics that make the obvious concrete.

A study assessing the incidence of PTSD in troops leaving Iraq found that soldiers not involved in fighting had a PTSD incidence rate of 4.5%. For those in intense combat once or twice, the incidence rate more than doubled to 9.3%. The number is 13% for troops in three to five combat situations. More than five exposures and the occurrence rate of PTSD shoots up to 20%.

The study’s “silver lining” is that after five or more combat experiences, 80% of the troops studied did not report symptoms of PTSD. Still, the number of troops with them is significant. The Military Health System reported 39,365 troops in Iraq and Afghanistan between 2003 and 2007 were given a diagnosis of PTSD.
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Military Scrambles To Limit Malaria Drug Just After Afghanistan Massacre

It is looking more and more like the medication Bales was on was part of this.

When I wrote about the connection between what Bales is accused of doing and medications he was probably on for PTSD and TBI, I didn't think about Mefloquine. Army: PTSD treatable; some diagnosed return to war,,,with meds

By most accounts, Sgt. Robert Bales has PTSD and TBI. If true, then sending him back into combat, more than likely, included medications for both. Is anyone looking into what medications he was on and if they played a role in what happened more than PTSD and TBI? Most medications the troops are given come with clear warnings about side effects.

Looks like I should have.

Robert Bales Charged: Military Scrambles To Limit Malaria Drug Just After Afghanistan Massacre
Posted: 03/25/2012
Mark Benjamin

WASHINGTON -- Nine days after a U.S. soldier allegedly massacred 17 civilians in Afghanistan, a top-level Pentagon health official ordered a widespread, emergency review of the military’s use of a notorius anti-malaria drug called mefloquine.

Mefloquine, also called Lariam, has severe psychiatric side effects. Problems include psychotic behavior, paranoia and hallucinations. The drug has been implicated in numerous suicides and homicides, including deaths in the U.S. military. For years the military has used the weekly pill to help prevent malaria among deployed troops.

The U.S. Army nearly dropped use of mefloquine entirely in 2009 because of the dangers, now only using it in limited circumstances, including sometimes in Afghanistan. The 2009 order from the Army said soldiers who have suffered a traumatic brain injury should not be given the drug.

The soldier accused of grisly Afghanistan murders on March 17 of men, women and children, Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, suffered a traumatic brain injury in Iraq in 2010 during his third combat tour. According to New York Times reporting, repeated combat tours also increase the risk of post-traumatic stress disorder.

Bales' wife, Karilyn Bales, broke her silence in an interview Sunday with NBC's Matt Lauer, airing on Monday's Today show. "It is unbelievable to me. I have no idea what happened, but he would not -- he loves children. He would not do that," she said in excerpts released Sunday.

On March 20, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs Jonathan Woodson ordered a new, urgent review to make sure that troops were not getting the drug inappropriately. The task order from Woodson, obtained by The Huffington Post, orders an immediate “review of mefloquine prescribing practices” to be completed by the following Monday, six days after the order was issued.
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This was posted here January, 2008. Just goes to show what they new back then. It is a long post with some of the results of what they got wrong in human terms.

VA issued warning on Lariam in 2004
VA Warns Doctors About Lariam
United Press International
25 June 2004
WASHINGTON - The Department of Veterans Affairs is warning doctors to watch for long-term mental problems and other health effects from an anti-malaria drug given to soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq.The drug is mefloquine, known by the brand name Lariam, which has been given to tens of thousands of soldiers since the war on terrorism began. Some of those soldiers say it has provoked severe mental and physical problems including suicidal and violent behavior, psychosis, convulsions and balance disorders.

Last year the Food and Drug Administration began warning that problems might last "long after" someone stops taking it.

Fort Campbell tries to stop soldier suicides
Spc. Adam Kuligowski's problems began because he couldn't sleep.
Last year, the 21-year-old soldier was working six days a week, analyzing intelligence that the military gathered while he was serving in Afghanistan. He was gifted at his job and loved being a part of the 101st Airborne Division, just like his father and his great uncle.

But Adam was tired and often late for work. His eyes were glassy and he was falling asleep while on duty. His room was messy and his uniform was dirty.

His father, Mike Kuligowski, attributes his son's sleeplessness and depression to an anti-malarial medication called mefloquine that was found in his system. In rare cases, it can cause psychiatric symptoms such as anxiety, paranoia, depression, hallucination and psychotic behavior.

Army curbs prescriptions of anti-malaria drug Mefloquine
Army curbs prescriptions of anti-malaria drug
LOS ANGELES (AP) – Almost four decades after inventing a potent anti-malarial drug, the U.S. Army has pushed it to the back of its medicine cabinet.

The dramatic about-face follows years of complaints and concerns that mefloquine caused psychiatric and physical side effects even as it was used around the globe as a front-line defense against the mosquito-borne disease that kills about 800,000 people a year.

"Mefloquine is a zombie drug. It's dangerous, and it should have been killed off years ago," said Dr. Remington Nevin, an epidemiologist and Army major who has published research that he said showed the drug can be potentially toxic to the brain. He believes the drop in prescriptions is a tacit acknowledgment of the drug's serious problems.

A Tribute to Medal of Honor Recipients on 149th anniversary

A Tribute to Medal of Honor Recipients

Staff Sgt. Abram Pinnington Reporting
news@clarksvillenow.com

FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. - While facing insurmountable odds with their backs against a wall and their comrades' lives at stake; brave men and women, without hesitation, place the well-being of others before their own. On Sunday we remember these brave and courageous warriors.

In 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed a bill creating the Medal of Honor. The distinguished award was designed to recognize those whom displayed valorous actions while serving on the battlefield.

The President of the United States of America, in the name of Congress, presents this unique award.

This Sunday, March 25th, marks the 149th anniversary of the first presentation of the medal in 1863. On that day, six soldiers were given the award for their bravery during the Great Locomotive Chase in 1862.

Since the medal's inception, there have been 3,458 recipients, 19 of whom were double awardees.

Some of the most recognizable and distinguished recipients include; President Theodore Roosevelt, for his actions during the Spanish-American War. Gen. Douglas MacArthur was recognized for his selfless service in the Philippines during World War II. Sgt. Audie Murphy, World War II's most decorated US soldier, was awarded the Medal of Honor for his courageous gallantry. Most recently, Marine Sgt. Dakota Meyer was recognized for his heroism while serving in the mountains of Afghanistan during Operation Enduring Freedom.
read more here

Double Medal of Honor

BALDWIN, FRANK D. First Lieutenant U.S. Army
BUTLER, SMEDLEY DARLINGTON Major U.S. Marine
COOPER, JOHN Coxswain U.S. Navy
CUKELA, LOUIS Sergeant U.S. Marine Corps
CUSTER, THOMAS W. Second Lieutenant U.S. Amry
DALY, DANIEL JOSEPH Gunnery Sergeant U.S. Marine
HOFFMAN, CHARLES F. (AKA ERNEST JANSON) Gunnery Sergeant U.S. Marine
HOGAN, HENRY First Sergeant U.S. Army
KELLY, JOHN JOSEPH Private U.S. Marine Corps
KING, JOHN Watertender U.S. Navy
KOCAK, MATEJ Sergeant U.S. Marine Corps
LAFFERTY, JOHN Fireman U.S. Navy
McCLOY, JOHN Coxswain U.S. Navy
MULLEN, PATRICK Boatswain's Mate U.S. Navy
PRUITT, JOHN HENRY Corporal U.S. Marine Corps
SWEENEY, ROBERT Ordinary Seaman U.S. Navy
WEISBOGEL, ALBERT Captain of the Mizzen Top U.S. Navy
WILLIAMS, LOUIS Captain of the Hold U.S. Navy
WILSON, WILLIAM Sergeant U.S. Army
read their stories here

12 Rangers get Silver Stars for Afghan heroics

12 Rangers get Silver Stars for Afghan heroics
By Michelle Tan - Staff writer
Posted : Sunday Mar 25, 2012

Twelve soldiers from 1st Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, were awarded the Silver Star during a ceremony March 16 at Hunter Army Airfield, Ga. The soldiers were honored — two of them posthumously — with the nation’s third-highest award for valor for actions spanning two deployments to Afghanistan.

SGT. 1ST CLASS MICHAEL A. EIERMANN
SGT. TODD D. MARK
SGT. DYLAN J. MAYNARD
SGT. 1ST CLASS MICHAEL A. DUCHESNE
STAFF SGT. ETHAN P. KILLEEN
CAPT. JONATHAN F. LOGAN
SGT. JONATHAN K. PENEY (POSTHUMOUS AWARD)
STAFF SGT. TREVOR D. TOW
SGT. MARTIN A. LUGO (POSTHUMOUS AWARD)
STAFF SGT. JOHN M. ROWLAND
SGT. 1ST CLASS KEITH A. MORGES
SGT. ALAN D. SOLOMON
read their stories here

Coming home: The enduring sacrifice

Coming home: The enduring sacrifice
By William Brangham and Jessica Wang
March 23, 2012

There’s been intense coverage of the nation’s suddenly improving economy – including the sharp drop in the unemployment rate. But one part of that story may have slipped by in a mass of numbers.

There’s apparently been a dramatic fall in joblessness among America’s newest veterans – those who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Last month, their unemployment rate actually dipped below the national average. One possible explanation: new tax credits for businesses to hire vets.

Still, more than a 150,000 veterans are still unemployed, and some have even become homeless. Need to Know’s Maria Hinojosa has been following several of these new veterans since last fall.

Watch The enduring sacrifice (update) on PBS. See more from Need to Know.

Wife says Iraq War changed Nicholas Horner

Wife: Iraq changed Horner
March 24, 2012
By Phil Ray
The Altoona Mirror

HOLLIDAYSBURG - When Army Sgt. Nicholas A. Horner returned from his third tour in Iraq in the summer of 2008, he was no longer the "happy-go-lucky goofball" that his wife, Windy, had fallen in love with just a few years before.

Windy Horner testified Friday in a Blair County courtroom that Horner, 31, was "more antsy" and subject to mood changes. He was suicidal at times. He carried a handgun and avoided crowds. He, for instance, would not go to local stores.

Windy Horner was one of the opening witnesses for the defense in her husband's double-homicide trial. The prosecution is seeking the death penalty against Nicholas Horner for the shooting deaths of Scott Garlick, 19, and Raymond Williams, 64, during a 2009 robbery and getaway at the 58th Street Subway.

She filed for divorce in 2010. The petition is pending, Windy Horner said under cross-examination.

She said her husband would disappear for hours, citing two instances when the couple lived in Dixon, Mo., just 20 miles from his station at Fort Leonard Wood, in which he left home and later appeared at the house of a friend, Staff Sgt. Kevin Hall, a trainer at Fort Leonard Wood.

She remembered him leaving a barbeque with another family one night.

He said he was going for a cigarette but when she went outside to look for him, he was "taking off for the treeline."

Windy Horner said she let him go, knowing she couldn't catch him.
read more here

Katy Perry video features 80 Marines from Camp Pendleton

10,889,959 hits as of this moment!


Marines say Katy Perry video is good publicity
Video features 80 Marines from Camp Pendleton

Written by
Jeanette Steele

Pop star Katy Perry is known for her blue hair and quirky videos.

When she wanted to get tough for her latest release, the young singer picked up an M-16 and trained with actual Marines at Camp Pendleton.

Perry’s “Part of Me” video, released Wednesday, was shot over three days in February at Pendleton’s Camp Horno area and at Red Beach, the sandy stretch off Interstate 5 where Marines practice maneuvers.

It’s likely the first major music video to be shot at a Marine base, officials say.
red more here
Katy Perry Part of Me video

Wounded in Iraq NJ Marine dies after 7-year fight to save leg

NJ Marine dies after 7-year fight to save leg
Mar. 24, 2012

BY REBECCA D. O'BRIEN, THE RECORD

WOODLAND PARK, N.J. (WTW) — Staff Sgt. Oscar Canon lived in constant motion — an athlete and a Marine, raised in Colombia, Florida, Texas and New Jersey. He served two tours of duty in Iraq, fighting in some of the war's bloodiest battles. Not even a 2004 insurgent assault, which nearly claimed his left leg and his life, could stop the Dumont High School graduate.

After more than seven years and 80 surgeries performed after the attack to try to save the leg, Canon died last month after lapsing into a coma at a naval hospital in Oceanside, Calif. Though his death is still under investigation, it appears to be connected to an infection in his leg.

The military considers it a combat death.
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Suicides Highlight Failures of Veterans’ Support System

Yesterday I posted about Wounded Warrior Project asking Is Wounded Warrior Project a country crock for all I've been hearing about them while they take in millions of dollars a year but we hear little about what they actually do. Now they are being quoted all over the internet with this claim.

80% of wounded veterans cite mental health woes
By Patricia Kime - Staff writer
Posted : Saturday Mar 24, 2012 9:24:33 EDT
In a survey conducted this year of wounded Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, nearly 80 percent reported having symptoms of a combat-related mental health condition, and roughly half said they had a traumatic brain injury.

Among the 2,300 Wounded Warrior Project members who responded to the survey, 62 percent said they currently have depression — nearly eight times the rate in the general population and more than four times the figure cited in a 2008 Rand Corp. report on military head injuries and mental health conditions.

About a third said their conditions have made it difficult to get or hold a job. The conditions also hamper relationships and recovery, respondents said.

2,300 members but millions a year donated to them? There are organizations all over this country claiming to be helping veterans but we see little evidence of success. We see even less success coming from the DOD and the VA. Frankly I'm just tired of it.

Everyday I get up and start to read the stories from across the country and everyday I'm reminded that our veterans are not getting what they deserve or coming close to getting what they need. What are they asking for? They want to heal, make a living after offering their lives in service and to know they can take care of their families.

Suicides Highlight Failures of Veterans’ Support System

Noting that an average of 18 veterans commit suicide every day, Judge Stephen Reinhardt wrote, “No more veterans should be compelled to agonize and perish while the government fails to perform its obligations.” The department appealed, and Judge Reinhardt’s opinion has been temporarily vacated, pending a ruling from a an 11-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit.


Gordon Erspamer, a San Francisco lawyer representing the two groups that brought the suit, Veterans for Common Sense and Veterans United for Truth, said it was “incredible that this sorry record of ineptitude and lack of procedures for emergency cases continues even under the watchful eye of the Ninth Circuit.”

By AARON GLANTZ
Published: March 24, 2012

Courtesy of Dianne Hamilton
William Hamilton, an Iraq war veteran, stepped in front of a train hours after being discharged from a Travis Air Force Base hospital.

Francis Guilfoyle, a 55-year-old homeless veteran, drove his 1985 Toyota Camry to the Department of Veterans Affairs campus in Menlo Park early in the morning of Dec. 3, took a stepladder and a rope out of the car, threw the rope over a tree limb and hanged himself.

It was an hour before his body was cut down, according to the county coroner’s report.

“When I saw him, my heart just sank,” said Dennis Robinson, 51, a formerly homeless Army veteran who discovered Mr. Guilfoyle’s body. “This is supposed to be a safe place where a vet can get help. Something failed him.”

Mr. Guilfoyle’s death is one of a series of recent suicides by veterans who live in the jurisdiction of the Department of Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System. The Palo Alto V.A. is one of the agency’s elite campuses, home to the Congressionally chartered National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. The poor record of the Department of Veterans Affairs in decreasing the high suicide rate of veterans has already emerged as a major issue for policy makers and the judiciary.

On Wednesday, the V.A. Inspector General in Washington released the results of a nine-month investigation into the May 2010 death of another veteran, William Hamilton. The report said social workers at the department in Palo Alto made “no attempt” to ensure that Hamilton, a mentally ill 26-year-old who served in Iraq, was hospitalized at a department facility in the days before he killed himself by stepping in front of a train in Modesto.

The Bay Area was also shocked by the March 14 death of Abel Gutierrez, a 27-year-old Iraq war veteran, who the police said killed his mother and his 11-year-old sister before shooting himself. Two weeks earlier the Gilroy Police Department intervened to ask the V.A. to help Mr. Gutierrez.

An examination of each case reveals faulty communication inside the V.A. system, which missed opportunities to help the veterans.
read more here

Remains of soldier MIA since 1951 come home after Korean War

Remains of soldier MIA since 1951 come home
The Associated Press
Posted : Saturday Mar 24, 2012 11:17:45 EDT

CALUMET, Mich. — More than six decades after Army Pfc. Arthur Leiviska died in a Korean prisoner of war camp, the soldier will be buried with full military honors on Memorial Day at a cemetery in his hometown in the Upper Peninsula.

Leiviska’s remains were among those of more than 4,200 dead soldiers that were returned in 1954, but his weren’t identified until 2010. His relatives were located and notified over the past few months, The Daily Mining Gazette in Houghton reported Saturday.

Leiviska was 18 when he was reported missing in action in 1951.

His remains will be buried in Calumet at Lake View Cemetery, where a marker remembering Leiviska is already placed.
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A U.S. soldier was executed inside Afghan's security HQ's

US soldier executed in Afghanistan
www.youtube.com
A U.S. soldier was executed inside Afghan's security HQ's, and an American family is demanding answers.

Cari Johnson on Facebook found this.

Vietnam Vet war hero returns home, 40 years later

A war hero returns home, 40 years later
By John Blake, CNN
Sat March 24, 2012

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
War hero's book is a memoir, and warning
Author: Soldiers trained to kill, but not trained to deal with aftermath
Karl Marlantes took 40 years to sort through secrets he left in Vietnam
Marlantes: The war is "just starting" for families of Iraq and Afghan veterans

(CNN) -- Karl Marlantes stared at the young man through the sights of an M-16 rifle and slid his muddy finger over the curve of the trigger.

Turning toward him, the man locked eyes with Marlantes and froze.

"Don't throw it. Don't throw it," Marlantes whispered, hoping the man would surrender.

Moments earlier, the North Vietnamese soldier had been hurling grenades at a group of U.S. Marines. He was cornered near the top of a hill. Blood streamed down his face from a head wound; the crumpled body of a friend lay at his feet.

Marlantes had slithered undetected to a spot just below the soldier's foxhole. When the soldier popped up, arm cocked to throw another grenade, he spotted Marlantes.

The soldier's dark eyes widened in fear; he looked around for a way out, but there was none; and then he snarled, showing his teeth.

Marlantes watched as the grenade left the soldier's hand and tumbled straight toward him.
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Author claims "Our Overdiagnosis of PTSD In Vets Is Enough to Make You Sick"

Hmm, and exactly what does he think causes civilians to be treated for PTSD? Cops? Firefighters? The people in New York City after 9-11? Hurricane survivors? Tornado survivors?

There are several traumatic events linked to PTSD and the going rate is one out of three. Some say one out of five. While 100% may experience a "shock" from the event, get depressed or have nightmares, usually after 30 days, it wears off even if it never really goes away. There are also different levels of PTSD, and one reason why therapists say getting help sooner is better than waiting because mild PTSD is easier to treat and heal than chronic PTSD allowed to feed off life afterwards.

In 2006 when this piece was written, redeployments were already a factor in the increased number of PTSD diagnosis. In other words, trauma piled onto trauma and in too many cases, untreated. Now there are PTSD veterans being redeployed on medication but no therapy. I bet the Staff Sgt. Bales case will be tied to medication considering by accounts he was sent back with PTSD and TBI. One medication may work for someone but cause a list of problems for someone else. Ever listen to the warnings on commercials for most medications being advertised?

Anyway, back to this claim being made. Combat veterans have traumatic experiences over and over again. For most, they are under 25, which most experts say is when the emotional part of the brain is fully developed, thus, opening the door to traumatic events taking over. Considering how many leave high school and join the service, most experts say the numbers of veterans filing claims is no where near what they should be. In other words, they don't want the label and don't file claims. Getting a combat veteran to file a claim for a disability is hard as hell. I've heard "I don't deserve help" more than "Where do I go to get it" making me spend more time trying to get them to understand they wouldn't need help if they didn't serve than I do helping them with their spiritual needs.

Claims made on this article do not take into account much at all and that is very depressing.

The PTSD Trap: Our Overdiagnosis of PTSD In Vets Is Enough to Make You Sick
By David Dobbs
March 22, 2012

The Post-Traumatic Stress Trap

by David Dobbs

In 2006, soon after returning from military service in Ramadi, Iraq, during the bloodiest period of the war, Captain Matt Stevens of the Vermont National Guard began to have a problem with PTSD, or post-traumatic stress disorder. Stevens’s problem was not that he had PTSD. It was that he began to have doubts about PTSD: The condition was real, he knew, but as a diagnosis he saw it being dangerously overemphasized.

Stevens led the medics tending an armored brigade of 800 soldiers, and his team patched together GIs and Iraqi citizens almost every day. He saw horrific things. Once home, he had his share, he says, of “nights where I’d wake up and it would be clear I wasn’t going to sleep again.”

He was not surprised: “I would expect people to have nightmares for a while when they came back.” But as he kept track of his unit in the U.S., he saw troops greeted by both a larger culture and a medical culture, especially in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), that seemed reflexively to view bad memories, nightmares and any other sign of distress as an indicator of PTSD.

“Clinicians aren’t separating the few who really have PTSD from those who are experiencing things like depression or anxiety or social and reintegration problems, or who are just taking some time getting over it,” says Stevens. He worries that many of these men and women are being pulled into a treatment and disability regime that will mire them in a self-fulfilling vision of a brain rewired, a psyche permanently haunted.

Stevens, now a major, and still on reserve duty while he works as a physician’s assistant, is far from alone in worrying about the reach of PTSD. Over the last five years or so, a long-simmering academic debate over PTSD’s conceptual basis and rate of occurrence has begun to boil over into the practice of trauma psychology and to roil military culture as well. Critiques, originally raised by military historians and a few psychologists, are now being advanced by a broad array of experts, including giants of psychology, psychiatry, diagnosis, and epidemiology such as Columbia’s Robert Spitzer and Michael First, who oversaw the last two editions of the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, the DSM-III and DSM-IV; Paul McHugh, the longtime chair of Johns Hopkins University’s psychiatry department; Michigan State University epidemiologist Naomi Breslau; and Harvard University psychologist Richard McNally, a leading authority in the dynamics of memory and trauma, and perhaps the most forceful of the critics. The diagnostic criteria for PTSD, they assert, represent a faulty, outdated construct that has been badly overextended so that it routinely mistakes depression, anxiety, or even normal adjustment for a unique and particularly stubborn ailment.

This quest to scale back the definition of PTSD and its application stands to affect the expenditure of billions of dollars, the diagnostic framework of psychiatry, the effectiveness of a huge treatment and disability infrastructure, and, most important, the mental health and future lives of hundreds of thousands of U.S. combat veterans and other PTSD patients. Standing in the way of reform is conventional wisdom, deep cultural resistance and foundational concepts of trauma psychology. Nevertheless it is time, as Spitzer recently argued, to “save PTSD from itself.”
read more here

Is Wounded Warrior Project a country crock?

UPDATE JANUARY 27 2016
Wounded Warrior Project accused of wasting donation money

View More: Live News|More News Videos

UPDATE Do not get confused by the different groups using Wounded Warrior in their name! Just an example, there is Wounded Warrior Program.

The Army Wounded Warrior Program (AW2) is the official U.S. Army program that assists and advocates for severely wounded, ill, and injured Soldiers, Veterans, and their Families, wherever they are located, regardless of military status. Soldiers who qualify for AW2 are assigned to the program as soon as possible after arriving at the WTU. AW2 supports these Soldiers and their Families throughout their recovery and transition, even into Veteran status. This program, through the local support of AW2 Advocates, strives to foster the Soldier's independence

This program has an excellent reputation but too many think it is part of Wounded Warrior Project.

The Marines have their own. Wounded Warrior Regiment

Being involved with a lot of groups, I am asked a lot why I do not support Wounded Warrior Project now. One example is the fact that since 2008, out of 14,500 posts on this blog, there are only 14 with Wounded Warrior Project in the tag line. This is not a good thing considering I track reports across the country.

About a year ago, I contacted Ed Shultz's radio program when I heard him advertising for Wounded Warrior Project and donations from USA Coffee going to them. He said they were working on PTSD, so I asked his producer what they were doing on PTSD in case I missed something. They didn't have an answer when I asked for specifics. A little while later, they were not talking about Wounded Warrior Project.

I know this won't be popular to do it but I can't support them at all. There are a lot of great charities out there actually trying to make a difference with very little money. There are way too many complaints about what they are not doing. Here are just a few.

Dec 12, 2011
Still a "D" from AIP
by: Anonymous

FYI, in the December 2011 Charity Watch guide (from AIP), WWP still has a D rating for very high Administrative/FR costs and a low percentage going to programs and services.

I want to scream at the radio every time I hear one of their (many) ads.

Feb 04, 2012
WWP PAYS for NON ADA-COMPLIANT Events
by: Anonymous

For the 3rd year in a row, injured heroes have been taken to places that are inaccessible to them - in Whitefish MT - INCLUDING FUNDRAISERS fully sanctioned by and in fact promoted by Wounded Warrior Project.

Wounded Warrior Project management is well aware of the lack of access by these businesses that are required to be accessible, but has decided they have the right to "suspend the ADA" by giving their violation a trendy new name - the name of the title held by the chaperone that saw the violations and did not report them last year, but assured us someone would take notice THIS TIME..

The irony and hypocrisy is unbelievable. They go to an event planned for them in places they can not get into independently or with dignity and safety, or go to the bathroom (because it's not accessible at all), so Wounded Warrior Project can raise money to help them live independently...in direct violation of the law that was enacted specifically to protect their right to access independently. And they get PAID to do this.

Individuals who are terminated from WWP are bound by a confidentiality agreement, but soldiers from past events are speaking out about these issues with far more frequency.

I will never support Wounded Warrior Project in any fashion ever again.

Feb 09, 2012
Claim of 82 cents per dollar is hogwash!
by: Former #1 Supporter

I have always been a huge supporter of our troops and an advocate for paying for their care. I have donated to WWP in the past and was in the process of putting together a fundraiser to raise money for their organization.

I have 11 team members and we are in the execution stages of an event planned in September. We are completing a website, and have accessed connections in media that could produce thousands of donations. I am thankful that we haven't officially selected WWP as our charity.

I had always assumed the WWP was a highly efficient organization based on its highly visible advocates. When I read that they gave 82 cents per dollar I was satisfied enough.

Last night I stumbled upon this website and was appalled at the comments. I decided to do my own research and was equally sickened by their claims of giving 82% back to the soldiers. Let's take a look at how they get this number. I will refer to this "Audited Financial Statement."


On page 3 you can see that they spent $54.9M on Program Services expenses out of a total of $66.96M total expenses. Simple division and you get 82%. That is how they claim that number.

But take a look at the next two pages to see exactly where that $54M goes.

To start, over $25M goes to "Media Ad Value." While it is certainly hopeful that $25M in ads will bring MORE than $25M in donations... that money does not count as going to the soldiers in MY book.

As you look down the list, the benefit that gets to the individual soldier is hard to account for.

How much of the nearly $2M spent on travel is for the executives and the board vs. a wounded warrior? How much of the $5M spent on postage is spent on getting items to the warriors? How much of the $317K spent on Telephone is spent talking to warriors?

I also found out that the top executive received $200K as well as an additional $190K that he received as a "consultant." $400K for a year for overseeing 100 employees? The whole "You need to pay to find good executives" argument is PURE hogwash.

There are millions of teachers, police officers, firefighters, and soldiers that give their entire lives away for $50K a year. Are you telling me that those people don't exist in the business world? Business is just people talking to people. The skills needed are no different than being a principal or police chief.

The more that I looked at the statement, the more "smoke" I saw. My organization has decided to forgo the WWP as the recipient of our funds and to focus on a charity that offers more than inflated advertising budgets, excessive executive pay and empty promises to our warriors.
read more here

Example of what they report under Benefits Service

Media ad value $ 2,307,198
Salaries 696,683
Advertising 649,750
Consulting and outside services 176,994
Direct mail 265,480
Postage and shipping 247,931
Travel 161,183
Payroll tax and benefits 148,070
Meetings and events 14,111
Promotional items 23,629
Grants -
Depreciation 51,166
Occupancy 36,088
Telephone 23,334
Miscellaneous 1,227
Professional fees - Office equipment rental and services 15,820
Supplies 6,360
Printing 1,985
Insurance 6,096
Utilities 3,167
Staff education 896
Books and Subscriptions 1,825
Bank service charges -
Organizational membership fees and dues -
$4,838,993

All this money goes to doing this according to their own site

A PARTNER IN THE PROCESS
To help warriors make the most of their benefits and successfully transition to life after injury, we provide warriors with the tools they need to become financially secure. Unlike traditional models of veterans' services, we identify the warrior's individual needs, in addition to providing economic empowerment. Our Benefits Service team ensures warriors and their families have information and access to government benefits, as well as our full range of programs and the community resources necessary for successful transition to life after injury.

A key part of this program is support and education for warriors, as well as their family members and caregivers. We advise warriors on their benefits, along with information on how to access those services through the Department of Defense (DOD) and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

Our service personnel work closely with each agency so they can walk warriors through every step of the process. When a claim is filed, we make sure it is processed correctly the first time and guide injured service members through this crucial part of their transition.

If you are in need of benefits assistance, Wounded Warrior Project™ (WWP) can help. WWP is a VA accredited organization and has experienced staff to help veterans with their VA claims. Please contact us at wwpservice@woundedwarriorproject.org for help with your benefits claims.

View our Policy and Government Affairs section for more information about WWP's legislative efforts.



Need a copy of your DD214 or service record?

These documents are always free to obtain for the service member and family members. Requests can be processed online or by mail/fax. To complete the online form or to print the form and mail/fax it to the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC), please follow the link below.

The mission of Wounded Warrior Project is to:

To raise awareness and enlist the public's aid for the needs of injured service members.
To help injured service members aid and assist each other.
To provide unique, direct programs and services to meet the needs of injured service members

This is from an accountant who took the time to look over their tax filings.

WWP 2010 Tax Return

The Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) 2010 Tax Return has been posted online. It follows the same formula - the percentage of expenses paid for Program Services was only 65% - according to page 10 of their IRS Form 940, posted at their web site.

FYE 2009 Officer salaries = $700,301
FYE 2010 Officer Salaries = $1,021,638

So here's the breakdown -
2008 - 64%
2009 - 62%
2010 - 65% of all expenses paid (out of CASH donated*) being used for veteran/wounded programs.

* Some of WWP's donations are "in kind" rather than cash - such as advertising time on radio and TV.

A+ charities should have 80% + going to programs. Even 75% would be better.

Just think what 10% more for programs could accomplish - we ALL owe it to our veterans to hold accountable the charities that we donate our money to.

Is this about raising awareness for the wounded or for Wounded Warrior Project?

They list providers from Give An Hour as part of what they do, but it looks like Give An Hour didn't mention them on their own listings for Florida.

Resources in Florida

Category Links

Mental Health Association of Southwest Florida
[3/24/2012]

The Mental Health Association of Southwest Florida is a nongovernmental voluntary citizen organization whose primary goals are to promote healthy emotional and mental development. The association's Web site, www.mhaswfl.org, has more information on its programs to support veterans.

Seminole Behavioral Healthcare
[3/24/2012]

Seminole Behavioral Healthcare is offering mental-health and substance-abuse counseling to military personnel and their families who work or reside in Seminole County and have been impacted by deployment to Afghanistan or Iraq. These services cover individual, couple and family therapy; drug and alcohol abuse; post-traumatic stress disorder and counseling for children of military personnel. The number of sessions will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

In addition to the counseling, “Mental Health First Aid” training will be offered to chaplains, senior military personnel, family readiness coordinators, service members and their families. Mental Health First Aid is a 12-hour training course designed to give attendees skills to recognize potential risk factors and warning signs for a range of mental-health problems, including depression, anxiety/PTSD, psychosis and psychotic disorders, eating disorders, substance abuse and self injury.

For more information, see our brochure. To take advantage of any of these services or for more information, military personnel and/or their families should call Laurie Reid, Director of Veteran Services for Seminole Behavioral Healthcare, at (407) 831-2411 ext. 1266. Visit us on the web at www.seminolecares.org and click on “Veteran Services” link on the left.

Paws for Patriots
[3/24/2012]

Since its founding in 1982, Southeastern (Florida)Guide Dogs has been a proud supporter of American veterans. Over the past 26 years, their expertise in training guide dogs to work with people who have multiple disabilities has led many disabled veterans to seek their services.

This is another great charity. Homes For Our Troops does a great job and uses very little for fundraising.

Homes For Our Troops

Another problem here in Florida is this group. Most people see them at intersections with their uniforms and buckets, thinking they are with the Disabled American Veterans, but they are not part of the DAV.

How much of your donations actually reaches veterans?
By Joe Crankshaw

$1.70.
That’s likely about how much of Navy veteran Gilbert Hahn’s $10 donation went to help his fellow vets.

After receiving a letter asking for a donation, Hahn, an 88-year-old Stuart resident, gave the money to a group called the National Veterans Services Fund. But only 17 percent, or $1.4 million of the $8.4 million the organization spent in 2008, went to help veterans, according to the most recent information supplied by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and the group’s own Internal Revenue Service filings.

“This is an outrage,” said Hahn, a veteran of service on board the USS Hancock in the South Pacific during World War II. “I gave them a small donation and they are back asking me if I forgot them and wanting more. They should be exposed and stopped. They are just making a living off us veterans.”

Hahn’s experience is not unusual.
click link for more

I did some temp work for Seminole Behavioral Healthcare and know first hand what a great job they do. I still have friends there and have taken some training through them. They are very interested in helping our veterans heal.

When it comes to the ads you see on TV, think about the organizations you don't see advertise and wonder why the others are spending so much money collecting your money. We all know about the USO but you don't see many ads for them. We all know about the Red Cross but unless there are major disasters draining their resources, you don't see their ads.

What this all boils down to is we need to ask about all these organizations popping up claiming to be all about the veterans when we are reading terrible reports getting worse. We need to support organizations putting the veterans first.

Besides, I want you to save some of your hard earned money for me if I ever get to the point where I start to ask for donations again. After all, considering what Wounded Warrior Project is doing for millions, I do the same thing for free except supply backpacks and taking them on trips!

I support
New England Center for Homeless Veterans
DAV
Point Man International Ministries
Orlando Nam Knights
just to name a few.

UPDATE
Wounded Warrior Project stated in a recent article they have 2,300 members.

The DAV on the other hand reports this

The 1.2 million-member Disabled American Veterans (DAV) is a non-profit 501(c)(4) charity dedicated to building better lives for America’s disabled veterans and their families.

The DAV was founded in 1920 by disabled veterans returning from World War I to represent their unique interests. In 1932, the DAV was congressionally chartered as the official voice of the nation’s wartime disabled veterans.

With our brave Americans leaving the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan, the DAV’s services and advocacy are as relevant and critical today as in any time in our nation’s history.

Annually, the DAV represents more than 200,000 veterans and their dependents with claims for benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense.

The DAV’s Voluntary Services Program operates a comprehensive network of volunteers who provide veterans free rides to and from VA medical facilities and improve care and morale for sick and disabled veterans.

The DAV’s 1.2 million members provide grassroots advocacy and services in communities nationwide. From educating lawmakers and the public about important issues to supporting services and legislation to help disabled veterans — the DAV is there to promote its message of hope to all who have served and sacrificed.

DAV STATEMENT OF ACTIVITIES
Support and Revenue
SUPPORT
Contributions Received Primarily from Direct Mail Solicitation
$99,629,259

Contributed Services and Facilities, Primarily Services
$41,074,184

Bequests
$9,168,123

TOTAL SUPPORT
$149,871,566

Membership Dues
$5,386,895

Income from Investments, Net
$7,665,134

Realized Investment Gains
$1,961,014

List Royalties
$744,777


Miscellaneous
$38,775


TOTAL REVENUE
$15,796,595

TOTAL SUPPORT AND REVENUE
$165,668,161

DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS
STATEMENT OF ACTIVITIES EXPENSES
Program Services
National Service Program
$42,875,720

Legislative Program
$1,693,510

National Voluntary Service Program
$40,797,407

State Services, Disaster Relief and Memorials
$6,796,090

Publications and Other Communications
$5,697,335

Membership Program
$9,016,206

Public Awareness Outreach
$21,070,402

TOTAL PROGRAM SERVICES
$127,946,670

Supporting Services
Fund Raising Costs
$32,580,986

Administrative and General Expenses
$5,937,326

TOTAL SUPPORTING SERVICES
$38,518,312

TOTAL EXPENSES
$166,464,982

Granted I favor the DAV since I am a life member and have been Chaplain of the Orlando DAV Auxiliary for the last couple of years. But as such, I see what they do with the donations and most people had no clue. Now you do.

UPDATE Perfect example is events they hold are sponsored by others. This "Soldiers Ride" was sponsored by GEICO.

Wounded Warrior Project® Soldier Ride®™, sponsored by GEICO, rolls into North Fork, N.Y., September 7 WOODBURY, N.Y. -- Wounded Warrior Project®’s (WWP) Soldier Ride®™, sponsored by GEICO, will be in North Fork, N.Y. on Saturday, Sept. 7, with a start time of 8:30 a.m. at Mitchell Park, 15 Front St., Greenport, N.Y. Registration begins at 7 a.m. The finish location is at Greenport Skate Park, Moores Lane, Greenport, N.Y., where a community picnic will take place after the ride. This ride is open to the community, and people are encouraged to sign up to ride in the event or join the crowd from the sidelines with the GEICO Gecko to cheer on the riders. For registration and additional details on the ride, visit www.soldierride.org/northfork.

Arlington ceremony honors 'citizens who are truly heroes'

Arlington ceremony honors 'citizens who are truly heroes'
By JENNIFER HLAD
Stars and Stripes
Published: March 23, 2012

WASHINGTON – Patrick Brady earned a Medal of Honor in Vietnam, piloting ambulance helicopters again and again through foggy, heavily defended enemy territory to rescue wounded men.

On Friday, he and fellow living Medal of Honor recipients honored three civilians who Brady said “are the kind of people that we fought for.”

The ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery was the fifth annual Citizen Service Before Self Honors, a way to recognize “everyday people who become extraordinary,” Brady said.

The day also marked the 150th anniversary of the Medal of Honor and National Medal of Honor Day, which is Sunday.

Every American has the responsibility to put others in front of themselves, and there are many acts of courage and sacrifice every day, said retired Gen. Richard B. Myers, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The awards are a way to “recognize those among our citizens who are truly heroes,” Myers said.
read more here

2012 Citizen Service Before Self Honors recipients Montel Mixon, Brandon Wemhoff and James McCormick and American Spirit Award recipient Spencer Zimmerman tell their stories.

Training pays off for stranded Fort Polk Soldier

Training pays off for stranded Fort Polk Soldier
Mar 23, 2012
Posted By Kristian Claus

The following is a news release from the Fort Polk Public Affairs Office:

FORT POLK, La. — Fort Polk Directorate of Emergency Services, military police and the United States Army Air Ambulance Detachment (Cajun Dust Off), 5th Aviation Battalion put their medical evacuation training to the test, conducting a live hoist medevac mission early in the morning March 21.

More than 10 inches of heavy rain struck Fort Polk March 20-21 causing severe flooding in some areas. A Soldier was attempting to cross a flooded road in an HMWVV on his way to the Joint Readiness Training Center training area when his vehicle was caught in the water. The Fort Polk firefighters were dispatched to the site to find the vehicle more than two-thirds covered, with water over the hood and bed of the vehicle, said Chief Michael Kuk, Fort Polk DES.

"We were out there on scene right after we got the call and immediately identified how he needed to be rescued. We lit up both sides of the crossing and coordinated with Dust Off to get a hoist," Kuk said. "Water was pushing the vehicle with a current of about five miles per hour and was chest-high."

Fort Polk DES had their water rescue teams on standby in case the medevac couldn't launch due to the weather.
read more here

Fort Hood soldier charged with two counts of aggravated assault

Two Men Wounded In Shooting At Local Nightclub, Soldier Charged
A Fort Hood soldier has been charged in a shooting in a local nightclub parking lot that left two men injured.

HARKER HEIGHTS (March 23, 2012)--A Fort Hood soldier was jailed Friday, charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, in a shooting outside a local nightclub that left two men injured.

Spc. Thelmore Alonzo Cumby, 23, was charged Thursday in connection with the shooting, which happened at around 2:15 a.m. on March 17 in the parking lot of the C-Roc club in Harker Heights.


The victims, Edmond Mims and Daryl Snipes, Jr., were taken to Scott & White Hospital in Temple.

Both have since been released, a hospital spokesman said Friday.

Mims told an investigator that as he, Snipes and a third man were driving through the parking lot they encountered a man walking down the middle of the aisle, the affidavit said.
read more here

This was the same day Fort Hood had a Stand Down to address "prevention of hazing and domestic violence"

Fort Hood: Army Stands Down To Focus On Home, Safety
Lt. Gen. Donald Campbell, Jr. called for a stand down Friday on Fort Hood to allow soldiers time to focus on home and summer safety skills.
Reporter: Rachel Cox
FORT HOOD (March 23, 2012) --- On Friday Fort Hood held a Stand Down Day during which all other training activities were suspended so soldiers could focus on the prevention of hazing and domestic violence and the importance of summer safety.

"The prevention of domestic violence and hazing as well as instilling a strong safety ethic all relate directly to maintaining an effective fighting force and living the Army core values of loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, and personal courage," III Corps and Fort Hood Commander Lt. Gen. Donald Campbell, Jr. said.
read more here

Dad Returns From Afghanistan Dressed As Captain America To Surprise His Son

Dad Returns From Afghanistan Dressed As Captain America To Surprise His Son
By Dan Hopper

Here’s a video of a military father returning from Afghanistan and surprising his son by showing up at his birthday party disguised as Captain America. It is as adorable and tear-jerking as all of that sounds, times several billion.
read more here

Couple's pillows offer troops comfort

Between Iraq and a soft place: Couple's pillows offer troops comfort

by JIM DOUGLAS

WFAA
Posted on March 23, 2012

COLLEYVILLE - In the dining room of a fine home in Colleyville, bolts of fabric lean in corners and colorful neck pillow patterns cover the table waiting to be sewn. Some are western with cowboys and cattle. Some have zebra stripes.

Dianna Titel's sewing machine rattles like a machine gun for hours as she puts them together.

Every day. Stitching pillows in the dining room. Stuffing in the den. Packing in the sun room. Enough to outfit two full divisions.

"Close to 50,000," she said. "Maybe more. Give or take."

That's right - 50,000 pillows. It's all give and no take.
read more here

Buckeye Craft’s role model deploys for Afghanistan

Buckeye Craft’s role model deploys for Afghanistan
Last Updated: 7:30 AM, March 24, 2012
Lenn Robbins

AP
CRAFT WORK: Brandon Craft, the older brother of Ohio State guard Aaron (above, dribbling away from Cincinnati’s Jaquon Parker in Thursday’s victory) is scheduled to deploy to Afghanistan with his Army unit tonight when the Buckeyes tip off against Syracuse in the Elite 8.

BOSTON — Tonight, at almost the exact moment Aaron Craft, Ohio State’s starting point guard, tries to control the opening tip of the NCAA Tournament East Region championship, his older brother, Brandon Craft, a U.S. Army Infantryman, will try to control his emotions as he and his unit fly across the Atlantic for their deployment in Afghanistan.

Yes, smack dab in the middle of America’s Tournament comes a story as American as apple pie and rusty basketball rims.

“Obviously I’m going to worry a little bit, but he’d be the first one to tell you, you shouldn’t worry,’’ Aaron said yesterday. “He’s been trained, and that’s the path he chose.
read more here

71 years young Marine vet biking U.S. for injured Marine fund

Marine vet biking U.S. for injured Marine fund
The Associated Press
Posted : Friday Mar 23, 2012 9:21:27 EDT
PARRIS ISLAND, S.C. — A 71-year-old former Marine is setting out in an unusual manner to raise money for injured and ill veterans and their families.

Rick Hermelin leaves from the Parris Island Marine Corps Recruiting Depot on Friday to make his way across the nation on an elliptical bicycle.
read more here

Tebow salutes war hero Marine by wearing wristband bearing his name

Tebow salutes war hero Marine by wearing wristband bearing his name
Tebow’s wrist salute to amputee Marine
By BOBBY MARTINEZ in Tampa, Fla., and RICH CALDER in NY
Last Updated: 7:16 AM, March 24, 2012

IAMAMARINE.COM

Michael Nicholson

Tim Tebow upon arriving in New York this week subtly paid tribute to a crippled war hero — a salute that left the Marine stunned.

“Oh, wow! Really?” Cpl. Michael Nicholson said after learning that Tebow was wearing a wristband bearing the hero’s name when the newest member of Gang Green came to town.

Tebow was photographed sporting the red wristband with Nicholson’s name emblazoned in yellow lettering after landing aboard a private jet Thursday in New Jersey and then en route to Gang Green’s Florham Park training headquarters.
read more here

Retired Marine is being charged for shooting and killing his wife

Man Charged For Killing Wife
Posted in Local
23 March 201
A retired Marine is being charged for shooting and killing his wife. Some think as a result of PTSD.

As we dug deeper we found out that 43 year old Bourne Huddleston, suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from his time in the military as a Marine. To those who knew him, it was a shock.
read more here

Navy Civilian Employee Accused Of Defrauding Navy and VA

Gardener Accused Of Defrauding Navy, VA

Leray Shurn Faces Fraud Charges, According To Federal Indictment
March 23, 2012

SAN DIEGO -- A Chula Vista gardener allegedly defrauded the Navy and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs out of $400,000 in workers' compensation claims and disability benefits, according to a federal indictment unsealed Friday.

Leray Shurn, 59, was compensated for claims that he suffered back and knee injuries as a Navy civilian employee, but hid the fact that he ran his business and performed some of the landscaping work himself, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
read more here

Alabama Chilton County VA officer position eliminated

County VA officer position eliminated
By Stephen Dawkins
Published 1:59pm Friday, March 23, 2012

Many former soldiers in Chilton County are upset and confused about the closing of the local Veterans Affairs office.

Jennifer Kamerer, who served as a full-time VA agent in the Chilton County Courthouse, told the county commission at its meeting on March 12 that her position had been eliminated.

“What we’re looking at is a major, major blow to our county,” Kamerer told the commission.

The office will be staffed one day a week, on Fridays, from 8:30 a.m. until 4 p.m., by a service officer that travels from the Shelby County office in Columbiana. Or veterans can travel to VA offices in Autauga, Bibb, Dallas or Shelby counties.

Kamerer said the arrangement isn’t adequate to serve the county’s more than 3,000 veterans, an opinion seconded by Phil Burnette, commander of the 23rd District, American Legion Department of Alabama.

“I’m hearing a lot of anger from the veterans, myself included,” Burnette said. “A lot of our veterans are not able to travel. To be quite blunt, I think it’s a shame and a disgrace that we’re being left without representation in the county.”
read more here

Daily headaches common in soldiers after concussion

Let me give you some hope here. If you have TBI you'll find it helps.

Before doctors knew anything about traumatic brain injury, I had one. I was 4. My parents brought my brothers and me to a drive-in movie. There was a playground for little kids like me and another one for older kids. Well, I snuck away from my brothers, climbed the big slide and got scared being up that high alone. A kid behind me wasn't about to wait any longer, so he shoved me. The problem was, I didn't go down. I went over the side. Head first on concrete, my oldest brother thought I was dead. My scull was cracked all the way around and I had a concussion. Making a long story short, no one really connected what came next after that night.

I started to have problems with my speech. They sent me to a therapist. I couldn't remember things as easily as I did before, so I got frustrated with everything and got yelled at a lot by my parents.

That was then. I learned to play with my memory so that I could remember things. Headaches come and go even now, almost 50 years later (yes, I'm that old.) The therapy helped with my speech except when I get excited, I talk too fast. While I can read anything, I have a hard time spelling, but all that is easy to deal with.

The trauma of that night was another story. That was harder to overcome but I'm not afraid of heights anymore.

TBI is not the end of anything except the past. When you think that each day we change a little bit just living a normal life, that isn't so hard to understand. We adapt and change with what happens in our lives. That's the human spirit. Don't give up. Work on getting better with your therapist and have some patience with yourself.

Once all of these experts understand that PTSD and TBI are only connected to the event that caused both, they'll be able to treat each one differently. I don't have PTSD but as my body had to heal from the injury, my mind had to heal from the event itself. Oh, heck, maybe back then I had mild PTSD too but they didn't know anything about that either.

Daily headaches common in soldiers after concussion
By Kerry Grens
NEW YORK | Fri Mar 23, 2012 6:04pm EDT
(Reuters Health) - One in five soldiers who returns from Iraq or Afghanistan having suffered a concussion develops chronic headaches that occur at least half the days of each month, according to a new survey.

Army researchers examined nearly 1,000 soldiers with a history of deployment-related concussion and found 20 percent had suffered the frequent headaches diagnosed as "chronic daily headache" for three months or more. Of those, a quarter literally had the headaches every day.

Concussion is considered a mild traumatic brain injury and is commonly followed by headaches. But little was understood about how many military personnel were experiencing the intense head pain daily -- or close to it -- for months on end.

"In general we know that chronic daily headache is itself one of the most debilitating forms of headache...and can sometimes be difficult to treat," said Major Brett Theeler, the study's lead author.

To gauge how widespread the problem is, Theeler, a doctor with the AMEDD Student Detachment, 187th Medical Battalion, Fort Sam Houston, Texas, and his colleagues surveyed 978 soldiers who had been deployed in Iraq or Afghanistan.
read more here

Creed singer visits Yokosuka to thank troops for earthquake relief efforts

Creed singer visits Yokosuka to thank troops for earthquake relief efforts
By TREVOR ANDERSEN
Stars and Stripes
Published: March 18, 2012


YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan — Scott Stapp, the lead singer of the rock band Creed, toured Sendai on Saturday to see the destruction left from last year’s massive tsunami. Then, he stopped by Yokosuka Naval Base to thank some of the troops for their efforts in the days and weeks following the March 11, 2011, disaster.

“It’s amazing what Operation Tomodachi did,” said Stapp who performed an acoustic concert Sunday aboard the USS George Washington. He was traveling in Japan with his wife, Jaclyn, a former Miss New York.

“We visited Sendai yesterday; we saw the destruction and we saw what you did, so we hoped to give everyone here a time to escape from their responsibilities and have fun,” Scott Stapp said. “We want to remind everyone how much we appreciate and support them.”

The rock singer also visited Haiti in 2010 to help the earthquake victims and was impressed by the humanitarian aid provided by the US military.
read more here

Staff Sgt. Bales charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder

Bales charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder

By MATT SCHOFIELD
McClatchy Newspapers
Published: March 23, 2012
Army Staff Sgt Robert Bales could face the death penalty after being officially charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder. Bales, who has been held at the Ft. Leavenworth military prison for about a week also faces six attempted murder charges.


WASHINGTON — Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales was charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder Friday in a case that could lead to the death penalty.

Bales allegedly armed himself with a pistol, rifle and grenade launcher and shot men, women and children in a nighttime raid that stands as the worst American atrocity since the beginning of the war in Afghanistan.

The charges — given to Bales on Friday at the high-security Army prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kan. — also include six counts of attempted murder and six of assault carried out in two remote villages in southern Afghanistan on March 11. The incident has deeply shaken U.S.-Afghan relations and fueled outrage against the U.S. and its continued presence in that country.
read more here

Army improves help for sexual assault victims

Army improves help for sexual assault victims
By Cid Standifer - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Mar 22, 2012 15:18:11 EDT
Pvt. Jessica Kenyon was in the Army from 2005 to 2006. In that short time, she says she was raped twice and also forcibly groped by three fellow soldiers.

She stayed silent because she feared retaliation and being ostracized, she said. She sought counseling after the groping because the cumulative trauma was crippling her ability to work, she said.

“I felt like I was betraying my country,” she said.

Instead of trying to help her, she said her commanders tried to charge her with adultery for becoming pregnant, despite having already filed divorce papers from her husband.

She told Military Times that the fetus, which she later miscarried, probably belonged to one of her alleged rapists.
read more here

Iraq Veteran killed under Florida law didn't matter as much

Where was national media when this happened?

Iraq War veteran killed; widow says Florida's "Stand Your Ground" law is free pass for murder
12:50 PM, Mar 22, 2012

Written by
Kevin Held

Valrico, FL (CNN/WFLA/WTFS/WTSP) - Outrage over last month's shooting death of an unarmed teen in Florida has put a new focus on the state's "Stand Your Ground" law. The widow of a man shot dead in front of his daughter, says it is a free pass for murder.

When David James, an Iraq War veteran, escaped combat in the Middle East unscathed, his wife Kanina breathed a sigh of relief.

"I would worry about him but I thought he'd be safe here," she said.

Kanina was wrong; and now wants to know why Trevor Dooley, a 71-year-old retired bus driver, shot her husband in broad daylight, right front of their eight-year-old daughter. Dooley claims it was self defense. Kanina James calls it murder.
read more here

For all the people getting ready for 12/21/12, they need to think again

Off topic but can't help it.

For all the people getting ready for 12/21/12, they need to think again. What was 12/21/12 to Maya, was changed a long time after they developed the calendar.

Maya Calendar
A different calendar was used to track longer periods of time, and for the inscription of calendar dates (i.e., identifying when one event occurred in relation to others). This is the Long Count. It is a count of days since a mythological starting-point.[6] According to the correlation between the Long Count and Western calendars accepted by the great majority of Maya researchers (known as the Goodman-Martinez-Thompson, or GMT, correlation), this starting-point is equivalent to August 11, 3114 BCE in the proleptic Gregorian calendar or 6 September in the Julian calendar (−3113 astronomical).

So does anyone really know what time it is?

15 soldiers learn results of PTSD re-evaluations

15 soldiers learn results of PTSD re-evaluations
The Army announced Wednesday that it has notified 15 soldiers of their behavioral health diagnoses amid an investigation into whether Madigan Army Medical Center’s forensic psychiatry unit wrongly changed post-traumatic stress disorder diagnoses.


STACIA GLENN; STAFF WRITER
Published: 03/22/12

The Army announced Wednesday that it has notified 15 soldiers of their behavioral health diagnoses amid an investigation into whether Madigan Army Medical Center’s forensic psychiatry unit wrongly changed post-traumatic stress disorder diagnoses.

In January, the Army opened an investigation into the Madigan evaluation team following complaints that it adjusted diagnoses in such a way that soldiers did not receive full disability benefits for PTSD. The Army is conducting at least three investigations into Madigan’s PTSD diagnoses.

Of the 1,500 soldiers who have been diagnosed at Madigan since 2007, 285 were invited to be re-evaluated.
read more here

Army: PTSD treatable; some diagnosed return to war,,,with meds

By most accounts, Sgt. Robert Bales has PTSD and TBI. If true, then sending him back into combat, more than likely, included medications for both. Is anyone looking into what medications he was on and if they played a role in what happened more than PTSD and TBI? Most medications the troops are given come with clear warnings about side effects. Does this mean everyone will become worse on the same medication? No. What works for one may do harm to another. This is why they need to be monitored by a doctor to make sure the right medication is given to them. If they have no clue about what side effects they need to report to their doctor, they suffer needlessly instead of healing. If there is no doctor for them to talk to, then who is checking on them?

Most Combat PTSD veterans do fine on medications and with proper treatment, begin to heal, so sending them back into combat or employing them in any field is not an issue. For others the medications they are on makes it worse.

Army: PTSD treatable; some diagnosed return to war

BY JULIE WATSON
ASSOCIATED PRESS
SAN DIEGO -- It is still not known if the soldier accused of killing 17 Afghans was ever diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder - but even if he had been, that alone would not have prevented him from being sent back to war.

The Army diagnosed 76,176 soldiers with PTSD between 2000 and 2011. Of those, 65,236 soldiers were diagnosed at some stage of their deployment.

Many returned to the battlefield after mental health providers determined their treatment worked and their symptoms had gone into remission, Army officials and mental health professionals who treat troops say. The Army does not track the exact number in combat diagnosed with PTSD nor those who are in combat and taking medicine for PTSD.

The case of Sgt. Robert Bales has sparked debate about whether the Army failed in detecting a soldier's mental instability or pushed him too far. The Army is reviewing all its mental health programs and its screening process in light of the March 11 shooting spree in two slumbering Afghan villages that killed families, including nine children.
read more here

Wounded Warrior Dreams of Home

Wounded Warrior Dreams of Home
Updated: Thursday, 22 Mar 2012
Valerie Calhoun
Memphis, Tn - A mid-south marine needs our help. Munford's Corporal Christian Brown was seriously injured in Afghanistan last December. Today, he remains hospitalized at a military hospital in Maryland.

"I remember just getting hit and just watching the marines take care of me and doing what they were taught," Brown told us by phone.

Corporal Brown's life changed forever when his unit stumbled upon an IED (Improvised Explosive Device) during a combat operation on December 13. He remembers everything.

"When I got back on the bird, I lost consciousness 'til I woke up here."
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Wounded Warrior Dreams of Home: MyFoxMEMPHIS.com

Military's Illegal Personality Disorder Discharge Problem

As Dr. Thomas Berger pointed out in this article, they would have had to talk to family members before making a diagnosis of Personality Disorder. The other factor in all of this is you'd have to believe the DOD tests missed it when they enlisted. All this leads to the DOD is basically telling the troops, they had it before they served so they owe the veteran nothing. Nothing including compensation so they can pay their bills, no jobs because without an honorable discharge, employers don't want them and service organizations only help those with honorable discharges, topped off with the fact that even they have trouble getting jobs. Uncle Sam went to the bowl and washed his hands of these men and women after they served.

U.S. military illegally discharging veterans with personality disorder, report says
POSTED: 03/22/2012
By Mary E. O'Leary
The New Haven (Conn.) Register

Dr. Thomas Berger, VVA executive director for the Veterans Health Council, said to properly diagnose someone with personality disorder, the Department of Defense would have had to consult with the families and he doubted that happened.

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — The Department of Defense has illegally discharged hundreds of veterans in the past decade by not following their own protocols when making a diagnosis of personality disorder, which denies them certain medical benefits and carries a stigma that hurts re-entry to civilian life.

That conclusion is based on data collected from the Department of Defense as the result of two Freedom of Information suits filed by the Veterans Services Clinic at Yale Law School on behalf of its clients, Vietnam Veterans of America.

The VVA and the Yale clinic Thursday released their report: "Casting Troops Aside: The United States Military's Illegal Personality Disorder Discharge Problem."

A person let go from military service with a diagnosis of personality disorder cannot access retirement disability benefits or severance disability payments and they may not qualify for monthly service connected compensation and timely health care from Veterans Affairs.

Personality disorder is considered a pre-existing condition, as opposed to post-traumatic stress disorder or traumatic brain injury and usually manifests itself in adolescence.

The Veterans Affairs Committee in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2007 accused the Department of Defense of deliberately misusing the personality diagnoses to save some $12.5 billion in health care and compensation.

The law clinic has determined that a total of 31,000 service members from 2001 to 2010 were discharged on the basis of alleged personality disorder, which is nearly 20 percent more than the 26,000 personality disorder discharges estimated by the federal General Accounting Office for 2001 to 2007.
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Gilroy missing mom of Iraq war veteran in murder-suicide found dead

Missing mom of Iraq war veteran in murder-suicide found dead
Published March 22, 2012
Associated Press

GILROY, Calif. – The missing mother of an Iraq war veteran who police say killed his family in a murder-suicide was found dead on Thursday off a rural Northern California road.

Gilroy police and volunteers had been looking for 52-year-old Martha Gutierrez since last week, after the bodies of her children, 27-year-old Abel and 11-year-old Lucero, were found in their apartment.

Investigators believe Abel Gutierrez, a National Guardsman, fatally shot his mother and sister before turning the gun on himself.
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Iraq War veteran likely shot mother before killing sister then self

After Staff Sgt. Bales' arrest, military tried to delete him from the Web

After Bales' arrest, military tried to delete him from the Web
By DAVID GOLDSTEIN AND MATTHEW SCHOFIELD
McClatchy Newspapers
Published: March 21, 2012


WASHINGTON — Besides waiting nearly a week before identifying the Army staff sergeant accused of killing 16 Afghan villagers, the U.S. military scrubbed its websites of references to his combat service.

Gone were photographs of the suspect, Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, as well as a recounting in his base’s newspaper of a 2007 battle in Iraq involving his unit, a report that quoted him extensively.

But they weren’t really gone.

Given the myriad ways that information remains accessible on the Internet, despite the best efforts to remove it, the material about Bales was still out there and available, such as in cached versions of Web pages. Within minutes of the Pentagon leaking his name Friday evening, news organizations and others found and published his pictures, the account of the battle — which depicts Bales and other soldiers in a glowing light — and excerpts from his wife’s personal blog.

So why did the Pentagon try to scrub Bales from the Internet in the first place?
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Who thought civilians treating soldiers for PTSD was a good idea?

Civilian psych staff doubled since 2007
By Joe Gould - Staff writer
Posted : Thursday Mar 22, 2012 11:20:30 EDT
As soldiers have increasingly struggled with post-traumatic stress, suicide and drug abuse, the Army has added thousands of civilian mental health specialists to treat troops and their families.

Army Medical Command reports it has more than doubled its inventory of civilian behavioral health care providers since 2007, with 1,985 hires. In five years, the service’s civilian corps gained 819 social workers, 510 psychologists and 73 psychiatrists, in large part due to an increase in congressional funding after the patient-care scandal at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in 2007.

Amid lengthy deployments and 10 years of war, the Army has seen behavioral health needs rise among troops. Since 2003, more than 70,000 soldiers have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress. Last year alone, 278 suicides were reported in the active force, National Guard and Reserve, and more than 24,000 soldiers were referred to the Army Substance Abuse Program.
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YouTube video shows military helicopter crash in Afghanistan

Mar 22, 2012 by AssociatedPress
Video shows a US military helicopter apparently losing control and crashing near a base in Afghanistan. Reports indicate that no one was injured in the crash. The cause of the crash is said to be under investigation. (March 22)