Iraq War vet wants to return his medals to NATO

Iraq War vet talks about why he wants to return his medals during NATO summit
Ohio guardsman's hitch as gunner in Iraq turned him against war

Iraq War veteran Greg Broseus, who has a photography exhibit at the National Veterans Art Museum in Chicago, wants to hand over the medals he received for his service to a NATO representative during this weekend’s summit. (Nancy Stone, Tribune photo / May 14, 2012)

Dawn Turner Trice
May 14, 2012

Greg Broseus joined the Ohio National Guard in 2002 to help pay for college. He wound up spending all of 2005 in Iraq as a gunner on a convoy whose mission was to search for roadside bombs.

For his service, he received 11 medals. But now he wants to give them all back.

On Sunday, he plans to participate in a unity march for reconciliation and justice at the 25th NATO summit. The march, organized by Iraq Veterans Against the War, will culminate in a ceremony in which veterans will get rid of their medals.

Organizers said they wish they could hand over their medals to a NATO representative. Since that's unlikely, contingency plans range from members erecting a memorial site where the medals would be pinned to an American flag to tossing them over a barricade near McCormick Place, where NATO officials will be meeting.
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also on this

Colin Powell on the Bush Administration's Iraq War MistakesThe General's Orders
May 13, 2012
Colin Powell reflects on lessons from the battlefield to the halls of power-including the mistakes of the Iraq War, his infamous U.N. speech, and the crimes at Abu Ghraib.

Chaos in Baghdad

On the evening of Aug. 5, 2002, President Bush and I met in his residence at the White House to discuss the pros and cons of the Iraq crisis. Momentum within the administration was building toward military action, and the president was increasingly inclined in that direction.
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Special Operations soldier, shot by a Fayetteville police officer has died

Soldier shot by Fayetteville police dies
By: NBC17 STAFF
MyNC
Published: May 13, 2012

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C.

A Special Operations soldier who was shot by a Fayetteville police officer has died.

Fayetteville Police said Sunday that Staff Sgt. Mark Lewis Salazar, 27, died after suffering a gunshot wound May 5.
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101st Airborne ups ante on behavioral health

Do they really think that calling it "behavioral" health will be a good thing? Wouldn't that send a message that something like Combat PTSD is more or a behavior problem instead of what it really is?

101st Airborne ups ante on behavioral health
Embedding assets in units to extend past deployments
May. 12, 2012
Written by
Leaf-Chronicle

FORT CAMPBELL, KY. — As the 101st Airborne Division prepares for its next mission, the commanding general is announcing a new initiative to embed behavioral health assets within the brigade combat teams in-between deployments.

The concept is similar to the way soldiers access behavioral health services while deployed.

“Embedding behavioral health professionals within the brigades here at home helps bring support services closer to the soldiers,” said Maj. Gen. James C. McConville, 101st Airborne Division commander, in an announcement of the initiative. “We must continue to reduce stigma and encourage soldiers to seek out behavioral health services.”
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Rescue dog saves combat PTSD veteran's life

Rescue dog saves veteran's life
Starting Point
May 13, 2012
Paws 4 People pairs service dogs with veterans struggling with PTSD.

Vet: Charity is stealing from us

Vet: Charity is stealing from us
J.D. Simpson says the Disabled Veterans National Foundation isn't doing anything for vets.



This is not the Disabled American Veterans but they people confused about who they really are.

Updated ratings for charities mentioned in CharityWatch archived articles can be found in the current Charity Rating Guide and Watchdog Report.
The American Institute of Philanthropy (AIP) is now CharityWatch.
** Article Update May 2012 **

A CNN investigation inspired by CharityWatch article Millions in Future Donations to Vets Charity Will Pay Debt Owed to Vendors reveals further details showing how such a small portion of donations raised by Disabled Veterans National Foundation (DVNF) goes to assist injured veterans. CharityWatch president, Daniel Borochoff, comments about the waste at this and other veterans charities. This follow-up video features veterans charities that have received useless in-kind donations from DVNF, and the group's president refusing to explain why DVNF provides so little aid to veterans. DVNF's responses to CNN take a "bizarre and nonsensical" twist and J.D. Simpson, who operates a shelter serving homeless veterans, says that DVNF diverts much-needed funds away from groups helping veterans in need.
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The DAV does not dress up in play clothes pretending to be in the military. We don't stand in the road with buckets and hold out flags or try to get you to feel guilty about not donating. I am with the DAV Auxiliary. I was Chaplain of the Orlando Auxiliary from 2009-2012 and will be the Adjutant and Legislative Rep from now on.

People keep telling me they just donated to the DAV on such and such a road but when I tell them the DAV doesn't collect money that way, they are angry they were taken advantage of. I just want to make sure that no one is still confused. This group has nothing to do with the Disabled American Veterans!

Calif. FBI agent missing, possibly armed, suicidal

Calif. FBI agent missing, possibly armed, suicidal

BURBANK, Calif. (AP) – Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department officials and other law enforcement personnel searched a rugged mountain area Saturday for an FBI agent who had not been seen for more than 24 hours and was said to be despondent and possibly suicidal.

Los Angeles-based Special Agent Stephen Ivens was last seen by family members Thursday evening, KABC-TV reported. He left his Burbank home the next morning on foot and hasn't been seen since, FBI officials said at a news conference.

Ivens was distraught and authorities fear he may have harmed himself, according to KABC-TV. Officials did not say why Ivens was distraught.

A search of his home did not turn up his handgun and police believe he may have taken it with him. About 100 FBI agents, 40 sheriff's department rescuers and a dozen local police officers were participating in the search for Ivens, who was described as an avid hiker and runner.
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More military troops and veterans seem to favor Obama

More military troops and veterans seem to favor Obama
Published: May 13, 2012

More U.S. troops and veterans are voicing support for President Obama in the upcoming general election, according to Reuters' report on a recent poll. The result might be a byproduct of dissatisfaction with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, concern over threats of a conflict with Iran over failed nuclear negotiations, and talk of Pentagon budget cuts.
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Officer says military courts need to lean from civilians on PTSD cases

Officer says military courts should learn from civilian counterparts in PTSD-related cases
ALLEN G. BREED, AP National Writer
May 12, 2012

Army Staff Sgt. Ryan Miller knew that deserting his post was a serious crime. But, by then, he had a lot more on his mind and heart than his job.

Back in 2003-2004, while Miller was deployed as a cavalry scout in Afghanistan, his father died, his mother was diagnosed with cancer, and he was facing divorce. During his second tour, this time in Iraq, his best friend was killed by a roadside bomb.

A few months before his November 2007 serve-out date, while stationed at Fort Drum, N.Y., Miller learned that he had been "Stop-Loss'd" — meaning he would remain with his unit for a third deployment. He walked away twice, for a total of 19 months.

At his court-martial two years ago, Miller testified that he knew he was likely suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, but purposely avoided treatment "in fear that I would be labeled a 'nut' and no longer be respected by my peers or subordinates."

When it came time for sentencing, the prosecutor, Capt. Christopher Goren, argued that Miller should be made an example.

"If we allow Staff Sgt. Miller to get off easy, what kind of message will that send?" he asked the judge.

"It would tell all those soldiers, lower soldiers, it is OK to go AWOL, which it is not." Goren asked that Miller be sentenced to seven months' confinement, reduction in rank to the lowest enlisted grade and a bad-conduct discharge — which would have cut him off from the medical and mental-health benefits usually available to veterans.

But Col. Michael Hargis, the presiding officer, recommended that all but the demotion be suspended, on the condition that Miller undergo treatment and counseling.

Maj. Gen. James L. Terry, then commander of the 10th Mountain Division, went along with the recommendation. Miller successfully completed his treatment and was granted an honorable discharge.

In the world of military justice, Miller's case is far from the rule. But some voices within that system are calling for change, saying military courts can learn from the recent experience of their civilian counterparts.

Civilian courts across the country have acknowledged the fact that, after a decade of fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq, some veterans' crimes can be traced back to battle-zone trauma — and that they shouldn't go to jail or prison for them. The same consideration should be given by the military legal system when damaged warriors come before it, say some military law authorities, including Maj. Evan Seamone.
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Families also pay the price for repeated war tours

Families also pay the price for repeated war tours
TheNewsTribune.com
ADAM ASHTON; STAFF WRITER
Published: 05/13/12

Resilient, tough, experienced, professional. The Army uses words like these to describe U.S. soldiers in the post-9/11 era who have had to adapt to the new normal of repeat combat tours.

The Army’s No. 2 officer, Gen. Lloyd Austin, said on a visit to Joint Base Lewis-McChord this spring that the “high up-tempo” of soldiers going on multiple overseas missions was challenging but had left the military with a “highly trained and incredibly resilient force.”

The same words apply to the spouses, children and other loved ones of oft-deployed troops. Thousands of families in the South Sound are now coping with the absence of soldiers who have gone to do dangerous work in Afghanistan for the better part of a year.

Tommie Polizzotti is one such spouse. She will spend Mother’s Day today without her husband around to make pancake breakfast for their four kids.

“It takes a special woman,” said Maj. Dave Polizzotti, a Lewis-McChord officer on his third deployment. “She is a smart, strong, capable wife.”
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Marine Iraq Veteran died after saving life following plane crash

U.S. Marine dies after rescuing ORU trustee’s daughter from deadly air crash
posted by Rob Kerby, Senior Editor

The daughter of an Oral Roberts University trustee was pulled from the wreckage of a crashed small aircraft by a former U.S. Marine sergeant severely injured in the crash, who then helped her wave down help along a highway.

Three were killed in the crash, and former U.S. Marines Sgt. Austin Anderson, recently returned from two tours in Iraq, died after being airlifted to a Wichita, Kansas, hospital.

The five had been on their way to an Iowa youth crusade.

Hannah Luce, 22, was critically injured and admitted to the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, Kansas. She is the daughter of ORU trustee Ron Luce, the founder of Teen Mania Ministries, which was conducting this weekend’s “Acquire the Fire” rally in Council Bluffs, Iowa.
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Gold Star Moms helping others Mother's Day and everyday

Gold Star Mothers continue the service of their fallen children
Maryland chapter, revived during decade of war, dedicate themselves to active duty personnel, veterans
By Matthew Hay Brown
The Baltimore Sun
May 12, 2012

BETHESDA — A mother arrives at the Red Cross office at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on a mission for her son, a 23-year-old soldier and double amputee. He needs a back scratcher.

With her bright eyes and wide smile, volunteer Janice Chance gives her that and more — a reassuring rub on the arm and an offer to do anything else she can for the soldier, who is visiting the hospital for tests.

In a sense, Chance is here for her own son, too.

Marine Capt. Jesse Melton III, the oldest of Chance's three children, was killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan in 2008. Soon after his death, the Owings Mills woman began volunteering with the Red Cross at Walter Reed and in the emergency room at the Baltimore Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

Chance is one of 50 Maryland mothers who are honoring the memory of their fallen sons and daughters by tending to the needs of those still fighting, the wounded and the veterans.

Together, they have revived the long-dormant state chapter of the American Gold Star Mothers, a service organization made up exclusively of women who have lost children in the military.

Founded after World War I and widely recognized during World War II, the American Gold Star Mothers had been dwindling for decades. Now the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq have brought a new generation of women to the organization.

Maryland is one of several states seeing a revival. Nationally, the organization now counts 2,000 women as members.
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Missing Soldier's Husband Thanks Community at 'Vigil of Hope'

Kelli Bordeaux: Missing Soldier's Husband Thanks Community at 'Vigil of Hope'
By ALYSSA NEWCOMB
May 12, 2012

The husband of missing soldier Kelli Bordeaux thanked the community at a "vigil of hope" held Friday night near the bar where the 23-year-old was last seen.

"I appreciate everything everyone is trying to do to find her," Mike Bordeaux told ABC News affiliate WTVD.

"I just want her home and I want her safe. That's all I want."

The missing soldier, who is from St. Cloud, Fla., has been married to her husband, Mike Bordeaux, who is a civilian, for nearly two years.

He was in Florida at the time of his wife's disappearance visiting his father, the Orlando Sentinel reported.

Pfc. Bordeaux, who is a combat medic stationed at Fort Bragg was last seen leaving Froggy Bottoms bar in Fayetteville around 1:20 a.m. on April 14.
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Still no answers as body of Capt. Bruce Kevin Clark comes home

Body of soldier who died during Skype chat comes home
USA Today
By Sean Dobbin
Rochester (N.Y.)
Democrat and Chronicle

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The body of a soldier from New York who died in Afghanistan after collapsing during a Skype video chat with his wife was greeted on the tarmac of Greater Rochester International Airport on Saturday by scores of people, many of whom waved flags or saluted as his hearse rolled past.

Capt. Bruce Kevin Clark, 43, was an Army nurse from Spencerport who had attended The College at Brockport.

"He really was one of the best students I ever taught," said Margie Lovett-Scott, one of his nursing professors. "The younger students always migrated toward Bruce. He was a natural leader, a student leader right from the start. If I was not available, they went to Bruce."

But just as striking were the number of attendees who had never met him. About 200 members of the Patriot Guard Riders were present, as were dozens more who were drawn to attendance by the tragic circumstances surrounding Clark's death.

"My niece has been deployed a few times, and I can't imagine that happening while I'm talking to her," said Kathy Barnard of nearby Greece. "I just feel so bad for his wife and the kids. It just gives me goosebumps. I can't imagine it."
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Want to help vets with PTSD? Treat families too

Want to help vets with PTSD? Treat families too
By LEO SHANE III
Published: May 11, 2012

WASHINGTON — Spouses of veterans suffering mental health war wounds know the stresses those illnesses can bring to the entire family. Now, a new study from Syracuse’s Institute for Veterans and Military Families suggests that treating that “secondary traumatization” can be an important step in helping cure the veterans’ issues.

The study, released Friday, notes that research on those family issues so far have “largely focused on improving relationships and reducing veterans’ symptoms, rather than targeting improvements in the psychological well-being of the spouse and children.”

But researchers said reducing the burden on caregivers and dependents, and helping them address their own stresses and trauma, can lead to more positive treatment outcomes for veterans.
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Northland Church and the disabled

Churches and the Disabled
May 11th, 2012

LUCKY SEVERSON, correspondent: Among traveling evangelists Nick Vujicic is a rock star. He’s packed them in in churches around the globe. This is his second visit to the Northland megachurch in Orlando—a preacher with no arms and no legs who wants no sympathy.

NICK VUJICIC: Why does a man without arms and legs have a smile like this? It surpasses the understanding of the world, because I should be depressed. I was, until Christ came in.

SEVERSON: He travels with another message: that churches need to be more inclusive of people with disabilities.

VUJICIC: To me, in my mind everyone has a disability. Everyone needs God. But definitely it is said again and again and again, we need to go out and reach out to those people who are in need.

SEVERSON: It’s not surprising that Nick Vujicic would be invited to Northland. This is a church with about 15,000 members that goes out of its way to welcome and accommodate people in need, including the disabled. One program the church offers is a class for physically and mentally disabled children.
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Watch Churches and the Disabled on PBS. See more from Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly.

Wearing Afghan Uniform, Gunman Kills U.S. Soldier

UPDATE
Men in Afghan police uniforms kill 2 NATO troops

Wearing Afghan Uniform, Gunman Kills U.S. Soldier
By GRAHAM BOWLEY
Published: May 11, 2012

KABUL, Afghanistan — An attacker wearing an Afghan Army uniform opened fire on American soldiers in remote eastern Afghanistan on Friday, killing one before escaping, in what appeared to be another in a recent string of assaults on coalition soldiers by their Afghan partners.

The shooting took place early Friday in a camp run by the Afghan National Army where the American troops had gone to train Afghan soldiers, said Attaullah, the police chief of the Ghaziabad district in Kunar Province near the Pakistan border.
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Effects Of Repeat Head Trauma In Sports And Combat

Effects Of Repeat Head Trauma In Sports And Combat
Thursday, May 10, 2012
By Maureen Cavanaugh, Joanne Faryon, Patty Lane

A study in January found ex-football players are 59 percent less likely to commit suicide than non-athletes of the same age.

This statistic may call into question the theory that former Chargers player Junior Seau committed suicide last week as a result of head injuries he developed during his career.

But Michael Lobatz, director of the Rehabilitation Center for Scripps Health, said there is a link between depression and suicide and a link between brain injury and depression.

"If you have a brain injury, have depression, you are therefore at increased risk for the development of suicidal ideations, so there is a continuum there," he said. "But there are so many factors involved in why a person would get to that point that you really understand that that's an extraordinarily complex issue and you really need to be careful about the assertions that you make about that."
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Help wanted

HELP WANTED
I have two passions. One is our veterans and the other is videography. For 30 years I've been tracking reports on Combat PTSD and dedicated my life to defeating it. From 2008 to 2010 I trained as a Chaplain and specialized in Crisis Intervention. That wasn't enough. I just finished my 5th certificate in Digital Media Live Event from Valencia College. Then there is this blog I started in 2007 fast approaching 15,000 posts. All of this takes time and unfortunately a lot of money.

The cameras I need are $3,500 and up. Tripods, audio equipment, lighting and computer program costs have my head spinning and then there is the cost of getting to the events and interviews. So far everything has come out of my husband's pocket since I haven't had a paying job in 4 years. We're running out of money and it's about to get worse with student loans to pay back but I'm not asking for your money. I need your time and experience.

Point Man Of Winter Park has a federal tax exempt under Point Man International Ministries. The Florida tax exempt has been applied for and should be in soon. I need help to be able to take care of Central Florida Veterans and their families.

If you read this blog then you know how many events I cover. If not, you can watch most of them on the sidebar of this blog or you can go to YouTube Namguardianangel channel. Most of you know I started doing videos in 2005 because no matter how much I write or post on PTSD, the younger veterans are used to being entertained. It's the world we live in. Everything is digital!

This is what I need from you.

Accountant with 501(c3) experience willing to volunteer their time to keep me on the up and up. This is all too complicated and time consuming. It will take time away from the work I do and frankly this takes about 70 hours a week to do now.

Fundraiser willing to volunteer their time. I had to face it a long time ago. When it comes to promoting my work and raising money, I am terrible at it. The fact this blog manages to get over 30,000 hits a month stuns me but is more about the power of Google search engine than self promotion.

Facility to film interviews so veterans find hope they can heal too. I also need a place where veterans and their families can come to get support and learn what no one is telling them. On this I also need people willing to help out and be peer support. If you read this blog you know how important peer support is.

Leaders in Martial Arts, Yoga and meditation willing to join forces to help them learn how to calm down.

Clergy willing to help them heal spiritually without trying to convert them.

Mental Health professionals to come and see them when they are not willing or able to get into the VA.

I am up against the "big boys" all the time. I do what the media doesn't do when they don't show up to cover events. Again when I am up against the big charities getting the attention and donations. I need all the help I can get and I am smart enough to know I can't do it all.

If you can help please email me at woundedtimes@aol.com or call 407-754-7526. If you know someone you think can help, please pass this on to them.

Celebration of Life for a Vietnam Veteran who served with Oliver Stone

Celebration of Life for a Vietnam Veteran
May 11, 2012
by Michelle Rotella

One of the men in Hemphill’s platoon in Vietnam, was Oliver Stone, the man who later directed the movie “Platoon.”

Friends and family came together Friday to celebrate the life of a well-known Vietnam veteran Friday in Lackawanna County.

There were tears of joy, sadness and love as friends and family came together at Saint Eulalia’s Church near Elmhurst. They came to celebrate the life of a decorated war hero who died in a fire last month.

The fire at his home on Freytown Road near Moscow, took the life of 69 year old Robert Hemphill.

A friend of Hemphill’s wife said he will never be forgotten.

“He was such a wonderful man he gave so much of himself to this country and such a servant of the United States, and he did such a good job in that role and in the community, he’s done so many things,” said Anne Domin from Elmhurst.

VFW Commander Russell Canevari of Jessup said it’s a special bond that veterans have that brought him out to remember and celebrate Hemphill’s life.
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Greg Welsh, manager of the Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall

Veteran hauler stands tall for the Vietnam Wall
Memorial replica now at Landers Center

By Henry Bailey
Posted May 12, 2012

PHOTO BY STAN CARROLL Greg Welsh, manager of the Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall, salutes during the National Anthem at the Wall's opening ceremony.

Greg Welsh of Cocoa, Fla., is a stand-up guy for the Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall -- on view this weekend in Southaven -- even as he oversees its take-down and transport across the country.

The Vietnam veteran and Air Force retiree hauls the replica of the Vietnam Memorial in Washington in a "dually" truck across the country for its Florida nonprofit owners, the Vietnam and All Veterans group of Brevard. It's a duty that he's cherished since this Wall, one of a number of replicas, was built in 2005.

"I'm basically the keeper of these names, for all the people who come to see them," he said on the Landers Center grounds, where the Wall arrived Wednesday and is the focus of DeSoto County's tribute to all Vietnam-era veterans. Visitation and all events are free.

The county's main salute program is today at 10 a.m. inside the Landers Center with Chancellor Percy Lynchard as speaker. The closing ceremony with former Democratic state representative John Mayo of Clarksdale speaking will be at 6 p.m. Sunday at the Wall; people at this event should bring their own chairs.
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Here are a couple of videos on the reunion

Green Berets still serving after amputations

Warriors stand tall in combat once again
Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force – Afghanistan Media Operations Center
Story by Gunnery Sgt. Ryan O'Hare

Sgt. Devin James U.S. Army Major Robert Eldridge, 2nd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group executive officer, mounts a Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle in Kandahar province, Afghanistan, May 7. Eldridge was injured while on a combat patrol in Shkin, Patika province, Afghanistan, Dec 17, 2004. He was in the lead vehicle when it was struck by an anti-tank mine. Upon arriving at Forward Operating Base Salerno, his left leg was amputated in order to save his life.

BAGRAM, Afghanistan – Becoming a part of the U.S. Army’s elite fighting force takes total dedication and an unwavering fortitude to persevere in the toughest environments. These grueling conditions not only test an individual’s physical limits, but the mental capacity to forge forward in the face of adversity when most other men would falter. The few left standing at the end of this arduous gauntlet are known by two words - Green Berets.

For Maj. Kent Solheim, the Charlie Company, 4th Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group Company commander and Maj. Robert Eldridge, 2nd Battalion, 7th Special Forces Group executive officer, their personal courage, coupled with their desire to continue to serve alongside their Special Forces brothers, was stronger than any challenge that confronted them, including the amputation of their limbs.
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Soldier sent video home just before IED blast

Wilkesboro soldier injured in IED blast
May 11, 2012
by Lindsey Eaton

WILKESBORO, N.C. — A Piedmont family is praying their soldier continues to stay strong after 20-year-old Chance Cleary was injured Sunday in an IED explosion in Afghanistan.

Cleary has been through several surgeries over in Germany, he’s now at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington D.C. with his parents.

In a 30 second online video, Chance Cleary gives his family in Wilkesboro a message from Afghanistan.

“I just want to say hey to the family and friends back home. Love you, guys,” he said.

Cleary’s family didn’t see the video until after he was injured in Afghanistan.

“I mean we all really miss him obviously, and seeing him be that funny Chance is all we know, so i mean it’s nice but at the same time its emotional,” explains Chane’s younger sister Brittany Cleary. Chance was on his first tour in Afghanistan.

On Sunday he was driving a Humvee with four other soliders inside. Cleary ran over an IED. “It’s honestly devastating your whole world just comes down in one day,” says Brittany.

The passenger in the Humvee died. The two soldiers in the back survived, Chance is holding on.
read more here

Spc. 4 Leslie H. Sabo Jr.'s Medal of Honor

This Soldier Was Hit By 2 Grenades And Just Never Gave Up The Fight To Shield His Buddies
Eloise Lee
May 10, 2012

"I couldn't be more proud of him."

On this day in 1970, Rose Mary Sabo-Brown lost her young 22-year old husband to the Vietnam War.

Now, forty-two years later, she's meeting President Obama next week to receive Spc. 4 Leslie H. Sabo Jr.'s Medal of Honor on his behalf.

What happened on May 10, 1970, is an incredible story — one of selfless sacrifice, sheer battle readiness, and true grit.

Sabo — a rifleman with 101st Airborne Division, or the "Screaming Eagles" — and members of his platoon were ambushed from all sides by a strong enemy force.
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Remains found at Roseville funeral home buried in national cemetery

Remains found at Roseville funeral home buried in national cemetery
May 11, 2012
By Megha Satyanarayana
Detroit Free Press Staff

Two Army veterans and the wife of a Purple Heart recipient whose remains were found in a raided funeral home were buried Thursday with full military rites. Roseville police found the remains last year during an investigation into misspent prepaid funeral contracts.

The cremated remains of Pfc. John Lillibridge, 70; Pfc. Stephen Lewandowski, 85, and Wanda Green, wife of Pfc. Paul Green, were among about 100 people's remains seized from the Buehler Funeral Home in February 2011.

Police had been tipped off that the owners, Mark and Lisa Buehler, were spending money from prepaid contracts on cars and luxury items, instead of putting it into an escrow account.
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New Zealand sending troops to train at Camp Pendleton

The Defence Force is sending a contingent of soldiers to train in the United States for the first time in nearly 30 years.

Thirty-four engineers from Linton and one medic will go to Camp Pendleton in California.

They will depart after completing exercises in New Zealand with a platoon of US marines in June.
read more here

Orlando Nam Knights Homes For Our Troops/

Bad Mannerz did a great job as always.
Here they're doing "With A Little Help From My Friends." Great song considering that with help from friends, the Orlando Nam Knights raised over $25,000 for Homes For Our Troops this year.



Medal of Honor Hero, Vietnam Veteran Sgt. Sammy Davis sat down with me to talk about what the troops should do when they come home. "Talk about it. We're not supposed to forget." Considering after his actions earned him the Medal of Honor Award during Vietnam, and he ended up being beaten up at the San Francisco Airport, he knows what he's talking about.



In this video you can hear what Sammy did in Vietnam along with hearing what happened to him at the airport. As Sammy put it, the way they were treated is one of the biggest reasons they made sure no other veteran would face the same thing.




There will be a few more videos on this soon. What a great day!

UPDATE
Here is the video from Sammy talking about how he became known for playing Shenandoah.

3 Injured After Crash, Shooting At Fort Carson

3 Injured After Crash, Shooting At Fort Carson
Associated Press

POSTED: 4:52 am MDT May 11, 2012


FORT CARSON, Colo. -- Fort Carson officials say three people are injured after a traffic accident on the Army post sparked a shooting.

Army officials say a driver lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a home on the post around 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, injuring a woman inside. Officials say the woman's spouse fought with the driver and fired a gun, striking the driver twice and himself once.
read more here

Mixed Martial Arts hero is veteran with PTSD

Chad Robichaux: The MMA Hero You Haven't Heard of but Need to Know

By Matt Saccaro

There's Brian Stann and Tim Kennedy, but there's also Chad Robichaux.

Robichaux served in the United States Marine Corps, going on eight tours of duty in the US's ongoing struggles against terrorism.

However, he's far more than a regular soldier.

He's a hero—not for guns-blazing or Ramboesque exploits (although I'm sure he has many such escapades to boast of) but rather, for his humanity and generosity.

When soldiers fight a war abroad, returning to regular civilian life is almost like a war in and of itself, only the battlefields are varied. Instead of deserts, mountains and cities, the battles are fought in the mind, in the house and in the office—in large part due to a growing threat to soldiers: post traumatic stress disorder or PTSD.

It is this foe that Chad Robichaux seeks to vanquish.

But this wasn't clear to him when he first left the service.

No, his road to being an admirable hero of a different sort started when he used his considerable martial arts skills to found profitable Gracie Barra gyms.

"I did eight tours of duty. When I came back from the last one I was diagnosed with PTSD. That was what kind of lead me to open my gyms in the first place," Robichaux told Bleacher Report.
read more here

Mom searches for OEF OIF veteran son with PTSD for 6 years!

Mom searches for son with PTSD
Soldier missing six years
Thursday, 10 May 2012
Stephanie Harris

HAMPTON, Va (WAVY) - A viewer called 10 On Your Side in tears when she saw Marine Jason Haag's struggle with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder on WAVY.com . She said her own son has PTSD and disappeared six years ago.

Shawn Mason's Mom posted his picture on Facebook and started an AOL account in his name. Ursula Stanley has searched everywhere.

"I called Social Security Administration and the only thing they told me 'we can tell you your son is not listed as dead'," Stanley told WAVY.com.

Mason, a chopper mechanic, enlisted after 9-11. Stanley said the Army sent him to Afghanistan right away, then to Iraq.

"One day he called me and he said 'Mama if I would have stood one meter to the right I would have been dead right now' because he said the bullet came up the Chinook and out on top."

According to Stanley her son couldn't take it. At age 30 he got a medical discharge, sold his home and disappeared. She hopes he's living on the streets, because she just can't consider the alternative.
read more here

Mom searches for son with PTSD: wavy.com

Old news new again!

UPDATE
May 13, 2012
Marine Dad Recounts Heartwarming Homecoming of Seeing His Son With Cerebral Palsy Walk For the First Time
by Fox and Friends

After traveling thousands of miles from Afghanistan to reunite with his family, Staff Sgt. Jeremy Cooney was the one who got the surprise of a lifetime. Doctors said his son Michael, who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, would never be able to walk. His wife and the mother of their five children, Melissa Cooney, planned the surprise her husband’s homecoming so he would be able to see his son walk for the first time. The entire family joined Fox and Friends this morning to talk more about the heartwarming homecoming.
read more here

UPDATE May 12, 2012
OK, now CBS jumped on this too!

Marine returns from war to surprise

Are you wondering what took all of these "big boys" so long to pick up on such a fantastic story? I'm not really. Considering they have all been spending so much time on other things, it is no real big shocker a wonderful story like this was not important enough to pick up on. After all, they have the same ability to track these stories as I do. Actually, they have more ability but they just don't want to.

UPDATE
Got my answer,,,,the Huffington Post posted it yesterday and it looks like everyone else in the blog world jumped on it.

Jeremy Cooney, US Marine Sgt., Returns Home To Find Son With Cerebral Palsy Can Walk (VIDEO)

This is too funny to just let go. I got an alert on this story and scratched my head wondering what took the The Hill so long.

Marine Welcomed Home By Son Who Walks For the First Time
Posted on May 10, 2012 by TheTamminator // Hillbuzz
Get out the tissues, people.
via Gateway Pundit
© 2012, TheTamminator. All rights reserved.

Just too funny with "all rights reserved" considering I posted it way back in January!

January 31, 2012

Boy With Cerebral Palsy Walks Into The Arms Of Dad Returning From Afghanistan

Hero in war gets help after DUI manslaughter conviction in Florida

Marine with PTSD, brain trauma, pleads guilty to DUI manslaughter for Florida crash
TAMARA LUSH
Associated Press
First Posted: May 10, 2012

TAMPA, Fla. — A former Marine who suffered severe brain trauma in combat has pleaded guilty in a fatal drunken-driving accident in Florida that highlighted the military's diagnosis of cases like his.

Scott Sciple (SY-puhl) pleaded guilty Thursday in Tampa to DUI manslaughter and DUI with personal injury in a 2010 wreck that killed a 48-year-old father.

Sciple's family and lawyer blamed the crash on his injuries suffered in Iraq and Afghanistan. He earned three Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star for heroism.
read more here

Key Psychiatric Doctor Rejects Name Change for PTSD

When I wrote Who is behind PTSD term change? I tried to point out that changing the name won't do much good if they still don't understand the basis of what it is, why they have it or are able to find find help as soon as they need it. While the blog world seems to be jumping onboard of this notion, it is refreshing to read that others are thinking out of the box and not just supporting what sounds good at the moment.

While Canada has their own set of problems, they are doing two things that history has proven necessary.

The Canadian military has sponsored peer counseling centers for veterans and embarked on an education campaign to raise awareness about mental health wounds, Friedman stressed. The military also has coined the term "Operational Stress Injury," which refers to "persistent psychological difficulty resulting from military service ... such as anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder."


The Canadian military also makes soldiers with Operational Stress Injuries eligible for the Sacrifice Medal -- the equivalent of the U.S. Purple Heart.

If this really is a battle born wound, then treat it like it is. We should stop settling for what some people say at the moment and look more deeply into what is right. It is right to acknowledge PTSD as a wound caused by combat. If they didn't go, then they wouldn't have it since it was caused by traumatic events in combat. When you are surrounded by veterans for as long as I have been, you become aware of the fact none of them escaped combat unchanged. There are different levels to how much they have been effected, but just as the Vietnam slogan goes, "All gave some, some gave all" the fact remains, they all changed. The Purple Heart is not separated by severity. A bullet wound that leaves a veteran paralyzed receives the same award as one that only leaves a scar in another.

The other thing they got right is Peer counseling! The best therapists have Combat PTSD too! Families help families best. Experience helps them fully understand the problems as much as they can share what is possible and hopeful.

Key Psychiatric Doctor Rejects Name Change for PTSD
BY: DANIEL SAGALYN
HEALTH MILITARY -- May 10, 2012
PHILADELPHIA

A key leader in the psychiatric community has rejected the idea of altering the name of a traumatic condition affecting an estimated tens of thousands of U.S. combat veterans -- a move that effectively blocks growing efforts by a small group of psychiatrists and military brass concerned about reducing patient stigma.

Dr. Matthew Friedman, who is chairing the committee that is updating the trauma section of the dictionary of mental illness, said changing the name of the condition could have "unintended negative consequences" because "it would confuse the issue and set up diagnostic distinctions for which there is no scientific evidence." The dictionary, known as the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, is considered the bible by the psychiatric association.

Last year, then-Army Vice Chief of Staff Peter Chiarelli asked the American Psychiatric Association to modify the name of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. The four star general says calling the condition a "disorder" perpetuates a bias against the mental health illness and is a barrier to veterans getting the care they need.

More recently, two leading trauma psychiatrists similarly asked the Association, which is updating its dictionary of mental health illness, to change the word "disorder" to "injury," calling the condition PTSI instead.

But at Monday's psychiatric association annual conference, Friedman said the net effect of such a modification would be to tinker with a psychiatric diagnosis rather than help patients. "To change to PTSI without anything else would accomplish nothing positive," Friedman said.
read more here

Safe back from Iraq, veteran shot by stepfather

Returning Iraq veteran shot by stepfather in Kirtland
Submitted by KOB.com Staff
Wednesday, May 9th, 2012

A marine who served four years and survived a tour in Iraq comes home to New Mexico only to be shot.

The person accused of pulling the trigger? His own stepfather.

“He went into the house…got his shotgun. Came back to the front door and pulled the trigger,” said Josh Branch.

Josh relived the horrifying night when he said he was shot by his own stepfather.

He said the two got into an argument at their home in Kirtland and that is when Lawrence Branch pulled out a gun and shot him.

“He blew the back of my knee out. I had to get a graft from this leg for the vein,” said the war veteran.
read more here

Plano Soldier Finds Unexpected Tragedy At Home

Plano Soldier Finds Unexpected Tragedy At Home
May 8, 2012
Reporting J.D. Miles

PLANO (CBSDFW.COM) – A North Texas soldier survived close calls on the battlefield only to fall victim to an unexpected danger when he returned home.

Tyler Timms served high-risk tours of duty in Iraq with an Army Ordinance Unit. He was buried Tuesday with the military honors deserving of a soldier.

But the bullet that killed the 22-year-old was fired after he got home.

“He was a special grandson and I’m going to miss him so much. He was a wonderful nephew,” says Linda Trammel, Timm’s Grandmother.

“He may have been my little brother but everyone knows he was my little big brother,” says Dustin Timms, brother. “Me and him would go out in public and I’d always feel safe.”

Timms, who attended Plano West High School, had been on leave only a few days last November when CBS 11 News interviewed him in his bed at Baylor Hospital after he awoke from a coma.
read more here

Facebook offers suicide-prevention lifeline for military families

Facebook offers suicide-prevention lifeline for military families
By Michelle Maltais
May 9, 2012

Facebook is connecting with military-support and service organizations to offer customized suicide-prevention services for veterans, active service members and their families.

For many members of military families, social media serve as a lifeline, connecting them to various supportive communities to help them cope with their specific strains and stresses. So, in conjunction with the Department of Veterans Affairs and the nonprofit organization Blue Star Families, Facebook has unveiled a literal lifeline within the site, with informational and response tools customized for service members and their families.

In a recent survey of 4,000 military families, Blue Star Families discovered that more than 90% of those who responded reported some type of use of Facebook, and 86% of them said they were on the social networking site daily.
read more here

Hollywood takes up veteran causes with 'Got Your Six' effort

Hollywood takes up veteran causes with 'Got Your Six' effort
May 9, 2012

A coalition of major media companies, talent agencies and unions are teaming up with two dozen nonprofit organizations as part of a campaign to build awareness for veteran issues such as employment, health, housing and education.

The wide-reaching initiative -- dubbed "Got Your Six," which is military speak for "I've got your back" -- will include a celebrity-filled public service campaign as well as greater effort by Hollywood to incorporate positive portrayals of veterans in movies and television shows, giving greater visibility to the challenges they face after returning from active duty.

Companies participating include Comcast Corp.'s NBCUniversal, Time Warner Inc.'s HBO and Warner Bros., News Corp.'s Fox, Sony, Walt Disney Co.'s ABC, as well as talent agencies Creative Artists Agency, United Talent and William Morris Endeavor. Also on board are the Directors Guild of America, SAG-AFTRA and the Writers Guild of America, West.

"Together, we are uniting to bring awareness to this incredibly important issue of bringing our country's trained leaders home to be a valued part of our communities across the nation," said Universal Studios President and Marine Corps veteran Ron Meyer.
read more here

Vietnam Veteran Fights For 11 Years To Receive Disability

Veteran Fights For 11 Years To Receive Disability
May 9, 2012

OAKLAND (CBS13) – He still has the envelopes from years of Veteran’s Affairs mail.

“We are working on your claims for unemployability,” one letter reads.

At 70, Vietnam veteran and former navy sailor Richard Carpino says the letter is typical.

His case is extreme, Carpino went 11 years through appeals with the Oakland VA to get his 100 percent disability approved.

New statistics show the backlog for Northern California disability claims is so long, veterans are waiting on average 320 days for a decision. And, there are 35,000 veterans in line.

“These kids that are coming back from Afghanistan and Iraq today are coming back in far worse conditions then what we came from in Vietnam,” said Carpino.
read more here

Iraq Vet and pregnant wife homeless in Denver

Returning Iraq and Afghanistan soldiers creating influx of homeless vets
May 9, 2012
by Jeremy Hubbard

DENVER — For weeks, FOX 31 Denver has been reporting on Iraq and Afghanistan soldiers coming home from war. But what about those soldiers who don’t have a home to come home to?

The Department of Veterans Affairs is noticing a disproportionate number of younger veterans on the streets. According to USA Today, about 13,000 of the nation’s homeless in 2010 were ex-service members between 18 and 30. Many of them, returning Iraq and Afghanistan soldiers.

For those with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), traumatic brain injuries or other ailments, coming home from war can be the start of a downward spiral. Unable to find jobs, soldiers often wind up on the streets.

Victor Johnson from Colorado Springs joined the Army after 9/11. He served in Iraq, but was injured when an IED hit his truck during the final security patrol of his deployment. It left him with a leg injury so bad, his doctors were considering amputation. Still, when he returned home, he expected a normal life.

“It didn`t work out that way,” Johnson told FOX 31 Denver. “Seems like it took a spiral in the wrong direction.”

He made a series of bad decisions, wound up in jail, and was evicted from his home. He and his wife Yvonda have spent the last few years in and out of temporary homes, and have spent the last several weeks on the streets.

It’s a stressful time. Especially since Yvonda is pregnant, and due to give birth any day now.

read more here

Pasco County FL undermines work to help the homeless

County undermines work to help the homeless
In Print: Thursday, May 10, 2012

Pasco County's official position on aiding the homeless is now crystal clear: hypocrisy.

Tuesday morning, Pasco commissioners honored two groups, Artists for Humanity and the Leadership Pasco Class of 2012, for their separate attempts to benefit homeless veterans and to finance a mobile medical van providing health care to the homeless. Yet, several hours later, a commission majority killed a homeless shelter in east Pasco, giving it one year to shut down its operations after denying it permission to operate permanently.

In the fight against homelessness, buying a ticket to a fundraiser is easier than buying into an attempt for a more permanent solution.

Commissioners Ted Schrader, Jack Mariano and Henry Wilson turned down a request from Chancey Road Christian Church to operate a permanent shelter on its 4.5 acres west of Zephyrhills. Then, Wilson and Mariano voted to shutter the place immediately, but they were out-voted by Schrader, Pat Mulieri and Ann Hildebrand, who agreed to give the church one year to wind down its shelter operations.
read more here

Parents Reveal Secret Attempts to Free US Soldier

Parents Reveal Secret Attempts to Free US Soldier
By ANNE GEARAN AP National Security Writer
WASHINGTON May 10, 2012 (AP)
Frustrated by what they said are stalled efforts to free a U.S. soldier taken prisoner three years ago in Afghanistan, the man's parents have gone public with previously secret U.S. attempts to trade him for Taliban prisoners in U.S. hands.

Bob Bergdahl and his wife, Jani Bergdahl, said in interviews that they are concerned the U.S. government hasn't done enough to secure the release of their son, 26-year-old Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl.

"There is a dynamic here that has to change," Bob Bergdahl said in an interview with the Idaho Mountain Express. "Everybody is frustrated with how slowly the process has evolved."

Bergdahl, of Hailey, Idaho, was captured in June 2009 and is believed held by the Haqqani network, an insurgent group affiliated with the Taliban, probably somewhere in Pakistan. He is the subject of a proposed prisoner swap in which the Obama administration would allow the transfer of five Taliban prisoners long held at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
read more here

Who is behind PTSD term change?

Ron Capps is right on this part.

I think simply dropping the word disorder is wrong — it moves us further away from treating this as a combat wound.

After all , the military has been telling them that PTSD is in fact a weakness! Yes, that's right. Their "resiliency" training has been telling them they can train their brains to prevent PTSD and be mentally tough. In other words, if they end up with PTSD it is THEIR fault. Imagine sitting through their Power Point presentations and hearing that they can become mentally tough, then going through what happens in combat, discovering they can't just get over it, have nightmares, flashbacks and everything else that comes with PTSD. Is there any wonder why they think it is their fault?

PTSD: Weakness or Wound?
By RON CAPPS
May 8, 2012

This week, the American Psychiatric Association is meeting in Philadelphia. Among the presentations in the “military track”—a spate of meetings directed towards practitioners focused on military or war related psychology and psychiatry—the top listed presentation is titled “Combat Related PTSD: Injury or Disorder?” Based on conversations I’ve had in the past couple weeks with psychiatrists and psychologists who ply their trade among wounded warriors, this is the hottest of hot topics.

In the next year, the psychiatric community will re-issue its handbook of diagnoAses, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). The current manual, DSM-IV, defines Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. A core element of the discussion will be whether or not to change the description of PTSD in DSM-V from a disorder to something else. But to what? I’m convinced the definition must include the word injury.

Some medical practitioners believe that the use of the word disorder in PTSD discourages servicemembers from asking for help because they feel that a disorder is a weakness. I absolutely concur. Others inside the military community feel the same way. General Peter Chiarelli, former vice chief of staff of the Army, has pushed to drop the word disorder from the vernacular, referring only to PTS. I think simply dropping the word disorder is wrong — it moves us further away from treating this as a combat wound.
read more here

There was a time when I thought it may be a good idea to change it to injury considering the only way a person ends up with PTSD is after a traumatic event but after much consideration the word "wound" would have fit better. The word "trauma" is Greek for "wound" and that is exactly what it is. When you change it to "injury" it implies that it is not a lifetime condition and removes the obligation of the government from treating it as a lifetime condition. A broken bone will heal but an amputation is a part of the body gone forever. This is not a simple question and there are no easy answers.

Using PTS, Post Traumatic Stress alone would be wrong too. Stress is temporary. This is something you don't just get over. Vietnam Medal of Honor Hero Sammy Davis said, "We're not supposed to forget." during an interview I did with him at a fundraiser for Homes For Our Troops. He has dedicated his life to veterans coming home from combat so they don't just fall in line and expect to be able to just forget. There is so much that is possible that actually works but if we spend our time trapped up in the term we use, no one will have time to talk about what can actually help them heal.

Is there something more sinister going on here? Is this about limiting the obligation the government has? Who is behind this? Who is the person pushing for "resiliency" training when it has been proven to be callousness? We've seen the results of this approach and the death by suicide figures prove it does not work. The very fact less than half of the veterans needing help actually seek it enforces the core failures. Another fact not discussed is the VA is overwhelmed with claims and unable to treat veterans on a timely basis already but again it is important to point out that less than half of the veterans are turning to them! So what is really going on here and who is asking the questions that need to be answered?

Utah SWAT officers helping Gulf War Veteran after standoff

Man surrenders, taken to mental health agency after standoff
Cathy Allred and Mary Burgin
DAILY HERALD
Posted: Tuesday, May 8, 2012

“We are more concerned for him hurting himself than others,” Smith said. “This is a veteran who served our country. We want to get him the help he needs.”

PLEASANT GROVE -- A Gulf War veteran suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder was safely taken into custody and transported to Wasatch Mental Health after a more than 3-hour standoff in the Pleasant Grove neighborhood of Monkey Town on Monday evening.

Police estimate some 12-15 homes were evacuated between 300 and 500 North and 200 and 400 East, with the 2-block area cordoned off to civilians during that time.

“The suspect is in custody but we are not going to file charges at this time,” said Lt. Britt Smith, Pleasant Grove police information officer.

Forty-year-old Nathan Hilton willingly surrendered to SWAT officers.

“I don’t think he had any knowledge that the SWAT team was there,” Smith said.

Police received a call from Hilton’s parents at approximately 5:15 p.m.; they said they had arrived at the home that they share with their son and heard gunshots and smelled gunpowder. The parents found their son in the basement of their home and tried to get the firearms — there were several in the home —from him. He was uncooperative, which is when the parents called the police.
read more here

Injured Iraq War Vet Inspires Others

Injured Iraq War Vet Inspires Others
May 8, 2012
Written by
Scott Brown

BUFFALO, N.Y. - "I notice I'm on fire, that's alarming to me because I have grenades strapped to my chest."

Mark O'Brien has a way of getting his audience's attention, whether he's talking to volunteer firefighters about the importance of wearing safety gear.

"This whole time I'm yelling let me die, let me die I don't want to live."

Or to middle school students about bullying.

"Anybody that posts something to make somebody's day horrible, you're a coward."

It's easy to hear that Mark O'Brien is a compelling speaker, and it's easy to see that his message is reinforced every time he gestures with his right arm or takes a step with his right leg because of the prosthetics he wears.

Although O'Brien's personality and presence makes it seem like he's been doing this for years, in reality he's only been publicly speaking for about six months.
read more here

The Veteran Suicide Explosion And You

The Veteran Suicide Explosion And You
Rick Ungar, Contributor
5/07/2012
According to the election year polling data that serves as a constant reflection of what we—as a nation—care about, the economy consistently ranks at the very top of the list.

No big shock there.

But as you tick down the recitals of what we perceive as our most pressing troubles, nowhere on the list of worries that supposedly rule our voting preferences do we see anything that reflects our concern over the following shameful fact of the American experience—every eighty minutes, each and every single day of the week, a veteran will take his or her own life.

I’m going to write that down again.

Every eighty minutes a veteran will take his or her own life.

So serious is the problem that veterans of our military services now represent 20 percent of all suicides in the United States despite the fact that only 1 percent of Americans have served in the military.
read more here

MILITARY: Death at Camp Pendleton probed as suicide

MILITARY: Death at Camp Pendleton probed as suicide
By MARK WALKER

The shooting death of a 23-year-old Marine at Camp Pendleton on Monday was being investigated as an apparent suicide.

Base officials said the body of Lance Cpl. Michael J. Ronner, 23, of Sudbury, Mass., was found about 9:15 a.m. Tuesday. Multiple reports said the Marine had taken his own life.

The incident occurred the same day the service reported that four active-duty Marines worldwide took their own lives in April, raising the number of confirmed suicides in the Marine Corps this year to 14.

Despite widespread efforts to counsel troops about suicide and offer them an array of mental health assistance programs, there continues to be a high rate of suicides among Marine and U.S. troops in general.
read more here

After combat talk about it

After combat talk about it
by Chaplain Kathie
Why would anyone think they needed to "get over it" or forget about something so important in their lives? Telling them to forget is like telling them to forget the friends they made, the people they cared about, the good times as well as the bad ones. Telling them to forget is like saying it didn't matter, no big deal, even if they saw someone they knew blown up in front of their eyes or saluted as the coffin with the flag was carried away. It all mattered and it still should but it doesn't have to take control of the rest of their lives.

We know what has to happen and we know what works. Considering Combat PTSD has been studied for 40 years, there isn't much that has not been done. The only thing new coming out of all the studies is the brain scans showing the changes in the brain. As for the rest, they keep repeating mistakes, like changing the name that is used to describe this.

A wise friend of mine told me today that this thing with considering changing the D in PTSD to I for injury was all about money. A disorder is life long but an injury can be "cured" even though they have never cured PTSD. Veterans can heal and live better lives making peace with what they had to go through but only a few have claimed they found the cure for it. If that were true then they'd be billionaires and we'd see a lot less suicides.

We can make it better for all of them if we stop treating them like the rest of the population and finally get it through our heads they are not like the rest of us as far as what we asked them to do. They are like us as far as being human, getting hurt, having their lives changed by events and all they need to be happy. What do we need? Someone to talk to. Knowing someone cares enough about us to listen to us without judging. Instead of trying to "fix us" we need them to help us stand on our own two feet by being there when we're down. We need to know we matter to someone! They need the same. Is that too much to ask?

Medal of Honor Hero Sammy Davis and his wife Dixie took time out during the Orlando Nam Knights Homes For Our Troops annual fundraiser to talk about life after combat. As you can hear in the video, Sammy was spending too much time with me and needed to get on the stage. What they wanted to say was too important to cut short. I feel totally blown away they would spend that much time with me, but considering how wonderful this couple is, I knew how much their message to the troops was.

Sammy and Dixie feel strongly that the men and women coming home need to stop suffering in silence. Talk about it! Sammy said "We're not supposed to forget about it."

Dixie wants the spoused to know that we all need to support them and help them talk to someone, if not us. Dixie also shared how her first husband died of cancer caused by Agent Orange.

If you want to know how to stop military suicides, this is it. Changing the name won't help. Giving them pills and sending them on their way won't help. We've made all the mistakes and have seen the terrible results. It is time to stop just talking about them and start listening to them.

Fort Benning looking at Veterans Courts

In Military Courts, Considering Alternative Punishment for Troubled Service Members
By JAMES DAO
May 7, 2012

By treating the underlying condition that led to the charged offense, Major Seamone writes, “The military can meaningfully reduce recidivism and restore veterans to a status where they can contribute to society, even if they are unable to continue their military service.”

Since the first one opened in Buffalo in 2008, veterans treatment courts have spread to more than 80 locations across the country. The special courts give civilian judges discretion to consider a veteran’s service-related drug or mental problems in sentencing, and have been praised by many experts as helping to ensure troubled veterans get needed treatment.

Now a senior military prosecutor at Fort Benning, Ga., is arguing that the same concept be applied to the military’s judicial system so that judges can sentence service members to treatment programs rather than automatically issuing punitive discharges that put them on the street without benefits.

In a deeply researched, 200-page article published in a recent edition of The Military Law Review, Maj. Evan R. Seamone argues that military courts may be aggravating the problems of service members by discharging them without first treating them for conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder. (The article can be found in Volume 208, the summer 2011 issue, which was actually released earlier this year.)

And when those troubled service members become troubled veterans — who, because of their punitive discharges may be denied certain veterans benefits — they are likely to create problems in civilian society, he contends.
read more here

Federal Court won't help veterans?

UPDATE Veterans For Common Sense is taking this to the Supreme Court!

9th Circuit Court Reverses itself. Next Stop Supreme Court

Dear Supporter,

As you may have heard, this week the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals issued their En Banc decision regarding our lawsuit ruling against VCS and VUFT. While the majority decision once again confirmed that serious problems exists within the Department of Veteran's Affairs, they disagreed that the courts were the proper venue for the veterans to seek redress. We respectfully disagree and will be appealing this case to the Supreme Court of the United States. Our veterans are not second class citizens and should not be subject to an arbitrary and capricious system with special rules exempt from normal due process protections that other Americans enjoy. As it stands the VA can effectively do what it wants forcing veterans to languish for years This is just a set back, it is not the end of our 5 year struggle, to ensure veterans have timely access to the quality care that they need and deserve. The recent IG report quanitfying the serious problesms that persist at VA shows that our veterans need everyone's help. We need your support to keep up the fight. The 9th Circuit Court may have turned their back but we will never turn our back on veterans. You can sign on to be a part of our historic court case by donating today.

I was always taught our Constitution trumps statutes and that our Courts were our last bastions to preserve our rights and liberties;now that promise has proved hollow, and all I hear is the continuing echoes of men and woman in distress. We should all feel their pain. This day will be remembered as the day our country turned its back on our veterans. VCS vows to fight this heartbreaking decision all the way to the end, because 18 of our veterans commit suicide every day.”

Sincerely,
Patrick Bellon,MPA
Iraq Veteran
Executive Director

The government gave veterans excuses. The charities around the country spread out and sprung up. They watched the 99% protests while they wondered who the hell would fight for this part of the 1% serving today along with the less than 10% that served yesterday. Groups ended up showing exactly what they value. Veterans for Common Sense and Veterans United for Truth decided to try to legally force the government to honor their side of the deal only to discover the court says they have no authority? So where are you on this? Are you willing to fight for them? Protest for them? Call your senator or congressman? Call the media to make sure everyone knows how bad things are for them?

Fed court reverses order for VA system overhaul
PAUL ELIAS May 7, 2012

SAN FRANCISCO — A federal appeals court on Monday reversed its demand that the Veterans Affairs Department dramatically overhaul its mental health care system.

A special 11-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said that any such changes need to be ordered by Congress or the president.

The 10-1 ruling reversed an earlier decision by a three-judge panel of the same court.

The May 2011 ruling had ordered the VA to ensure that suicidal vets are seen immediately, among other changes. It found the VA's "unchecked incompetence" in handling the flood of post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health claims was unconstitutional.

The new decision said courts are powerless to implement the fixes sought by two veterans groups that filed the lawsuit against the VA in 2007. The lawsuits alleged that hundreds of thousands of veterans had to wait an average of four years to fully receive the mental health benefits owed them.

"There can be no doubt that securing exemplary care for our nation's veterans is a moral imperative," Judge Jay Bybee wrote for the majority. "But Congress and the president are in far better position" to decide whether and what changes need to be done.

The court said veterans are free to file individual legal claims, but courts had no business ordering systemic overhauls.

"If the courts don't have jurisdiction, then the veteran is left without a remedy," Erspamer said.

Veterans for Common Sense and Veterans United for Truth filed the lawsuit at the heart of the ruling in San Francisco federal court in 2007.

During the two-week trial without a jury in April 2008, lawyers for the groups showed the judge emails between high-ranking VA officials that the attorneys said confirmed high suicide rates among veterans and a desire to keep quiet the number of vets under VA care who attempt suicide.

"Shhh!" began a Feb. 13, 2008, email from Dr. Ira Katz, a VA deputy chief. "Our suicide prevention coordinators are identifying about 1,000 suicide attempts per month among the veterans we see in our medical facilities. Is this something we should (carefully) address ourselves in some sort of release before someone stumbles on it?"

read more here

National Veterans Foundation issues tsunami warning

Tsunami? Really? Not so strange of a word when you understand how huge this is. For the last 30 years, aside from living with it, I've been reading reports from across the country on veterans with PTSD. By 2010, it was clear the flood of veterans already home would overwhelm the VA and communities.

US struggles with surge of returning veterans

Monday, August 16, 2010

When reporters heard the words coming out of the mouths of politicians, did they ever think to ask exactly what they meant by "support the troops" when they said it in speeches? Did reporters ever bother to read the transcripts from the speeches when some members of congress were saying they couldn't afford to increase the funding for the VA with "two wars to pay for" as if that was supposed to make any sense at all? Nope. They just let them get away with saying whatever they wanted to.

Five years ago on my other blog, Screaming in an Empty Room, I was screaming but no one heard me. Three years ago I started to scream even louder but no one heard me. All the work of putting together these stories in one place so that people could find out what a huge problem was going on as well as find someone going through the same thing, did very little good.

So here we have a great article about 5 pages long and really worth the read. This is the point I want to focus on right now so that nobody ever tries to minimize the crisis we are already in, how we got here but above all, does something before the tsunami hits!

In 2001, before the troops were sent to Afghanistan, this should have all been prepared for because the data was in from Vietnam veterans but no one was paying attention. Now we see case after case of veterans committing suicide, families destroyed, arrests, long lines at the VA topped off with the fact less than half seek help. They are talking about changing the name from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder to Injury as if that will help. It won't do any good when the veterans are facing all these failures.

Tsunami of PTSD Related Criminal Cases Coming: New Tool for Defense Attorneys to Be Released Soon
Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) May 07, 2012

The National Veterans Foundation is preparing to launch The Attorneys’ Guide to Defending Veterans in Criminal Court in June. This 700+ page publication will provide attorneys, judges, expert witnesses, and others who work with veterans, the very cutting-edge in understanding the nature of combat stress, its ties to criminal behavior, and how we can avoid repeating mistakes made with past generations of returning war veterans. The book will include contributions from leading experts in the fields of law, history, medicine, mental health, and social work in order to provide comprehensive coverage.

More than 2 million Americans have now served in Iraq or Afghanistan. A 2008 RAND Corporation study found that, of the 1.7 million who had served in the war zones at that time, more than 300,000 were suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (“PTSD”), and another 320,000 from Traumatic Brain Injury (“TBI”). Only about half of these troops, it found, had reported or sought help for their condition. Untreated, many of these psychologically-injured veterans are acting out in reckless, self-destructive and, sometimes, violent ways that bring them into contact with the criminal justice system.

History tells us that as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan wind down, the numbers of troubled veterans flooding into criminal courts will swell. Emerging research reveals a pattern of traumatized combat veterans surfacing in the criminal justice system following every major American conflict. Unfortunately, veterans of past conflicts were often treated quite harshly when their psychological injuries led them into criminal behavior.

This was particularly true in the wake of Vietnam when hundreds of thousands of psychologically-injured veterans returned home to a largely hostile American public who had come to blame them for an unpopular war. These veterans were often stigmatized and literally discarded when their psychological injuries led them to criminal behavior. read more here

Medal of Honor Hero Sammy Davis talks about coming home

Note from Chaplain Kathie

On Saturday Medal of Honor Hero Sammy Davis and his wife Dixie attended the Orlando Nam Knights fundraiser for Homes For Our Troops. Before the event, Sammy and Dixie took time out to talk to me and share a story few have ever heard. This is part one. Part Two is Sammy's speech and he talks about being in Vietnam. Part three is a message Sammy has for the troops coming home and for our veterans with PTSD. Dixie has a message for the wives.

May 5, 2012

At the Orlando Nam Knights fundraiser for Homes For Our Troops, Vietnam Veteran and Medal of Honor hero Sammy Davis talked to me about what it was like coming home after all he'd been through. It is a story few have heard before. As Sammy put it, it is one of the reasons no other veteran will ever come home treated like that again.

"Wimpy" read the citation about what Sammy did in Vietnam and Sammy talked about what he came home to. As you watch this, think of all he did, all he went through, only to be treated the way he was. I adored Sammy before hearing this but now, I can't think of a more magnificent example of the finest this nation has.

Army wants to know why some soldiers don't go for help

US Army examines why some soldiers avoid PTSD care, strategies to keep them in treatment
May 7, 2012
Psychology and Psychiatry

U.S. Army researcher Maj. Gary H. Wynn, M.D., shared new analysis on why some Soldiers suffering from combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) never seek care or drop out of treatment early during a presentation today at the American Psychiatric Association's annual meeting. His presentation, "Epidemiology of Combat-Related PTSD in U.S. Service Members: Lessons Learned," also described the approaches the Army is using to address this issue and improve overall patient outcomes.

Currently, fewer than half of the Soldiers who report symptoms of combat-related PTSD receive the care they need. And of those Soldiers who do start treatment, between 20 percent and 50 percent walk away before its completion. According to recent studies*, some of the key reasons include Soldiers' general lack of trust for any mental health professional, a belief that psychological problems tend to work themselves out on their own and a perception that seeking mental health treatment should be a last resort.

"We've learned that keeping Soldiers who are already enrolled in PTSD treatment from dropping out is the most important strategy for improving outcomes," said Maj. Wynn, a research psychiatrist, Center for Military Psychiatry and Neuroscience at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. "This requires better matching of evidence-based therapies with patient preferences to improve engagement and a patient's willingness to remain in care."

And the need for care is significant. During his presentation, Maj. Wynn provided an overview of recent research that shows the vast majority of U.S. infantry in combat zones have at least one experience during deployment that could potentially lead to combat-related PTSD, such as receiving incoming artillery, rocket or mortar fire (93 percent), being attacked or ambushed (91 percent) or knowing someone seriously injured or killed (87 percent). Research also suggests that increased exposure to these traumatic events, such as during multiple deployments common throughout the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, increases a Soldier's risk of developing PTSD-related symptoms.
read more here

Home From War with TBI, Vet Battles DUI Rap

Home From War with TBI, Vet Battles DUI Rap

In a Peekskill case with potentially broader implications, an ex-marine maintains a traumatic brain injury, the scourge of today's battlefields, left him unjustly accused of being unfit to drive.

By Tom Bartley
An Iraq combat veteran returns to Peekskill City Court Monday facing a tough choice: plead guilty to driving under the influence of drugs, ending a protracted, costly round of appearances, or demand a trial, which could leave him in legal limbo for another year or more.

What separates Alexander A. Lazos from other DUI defendants, at least for now, is his likely defense. After he brushed another car at a Peekskill gas station last July, police say, Lazos failed to walk a straight line and tested positive for drugs, leading to a charge of driving under their influence. The former marine, however, contends that a 2003 battlefield brain injury caused him to flunk the field sobriety test. The “drugs,” moreover, were doctor-prescribed for his injury and permitted even when driving, Lazos says.
read more here

Medal of Honor Hero Sammy Davis had busy week

The Orlando Nam Knights held another fundraiser for Homes For Our Troops on Saturday. Sammy is in the middle of this picture. I met Sammy and his wife Dixie a few times in the past but never really had a chance to talk to him. Saturday we sat together for an interview and it will be up on this blog as soon.

While you don't hear much about what he's doing, he's doing it and going around the country with Dixie but the national media doesn't have much time for this national hero!

Medal of Honor recipient visits students
By Matt Lakin
Knoxville News Sentinel via AP Posted : Sunday May 6, 2012

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — For Sammy Davis, the greatest honor comes from seeing the children’s faces as they hold his medal in their hands.

“When you see the looks on their faces and hear the questions they ask, it’s very easy to open up your heart and let them look in,” he said recently. “There have been over 2.5 million children hold this medal. I tell them, it’s theirs. I’m just the caretaker of it.”

Davis, 65, received the Medal of Honor for holding off a Viet Cong assault and for saving three wounded members of his Army artillery crew during fighting near Cai Lay, Vietnam, on Nov. 18, 1967. He came to Knoxville to take questions from elementary students at Sacred Heart Cathedral School and to help promote the Medal of Honor Society’s upcoming convention in Knoxville, set for October 2014.

Organizers estimate the convention could bring more than $2 million in revenue.
read more here