Vietnam vet dies 'making a difference' in Afghanistan

Vietnam vet dies 'making a difference' in Afghanistan

Tom Boyle, right, shown in an undated photograph (Handout )

June 21, 2012
By Jim Jaworski
Tribune reporter

Friends recall that Tom Boyle faced many deadly situations on the streets of Chicago during more than 30 years as a police officer. More than a decade after retirement, at age 62, he was training police in war-torn Afghanistan how best to keep the peace when he died this week.

Eager to make another part of the world safer, Boyle took a job as a security contractor, according to his wife, Pauline Boyle. He trained police in Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan, she said.

Pauline Boyle was notified by his company and a military chaplain on Monday of her husband’s death in Afghanistan that day.

Described as a serious man with a sarcastic sense of humor, Boyle is being remembered as someone who never stopped trying to assist others — whether as a police officer, Marine or private security contractor.

“He wanted to see if he could help people,” said Steve Kirby, who sometimes employed Boyle as a private investigator at his Elmhurst company. “That’s just the kind of person he was. He’s been spending his whole life helping people.”

Boyle was born in 1949 and grew up on the Northwest side of Chicago, according to his wife of 35 years. He served two tours in Vietnam, earning multiple awards including the Cross of Gallantry.
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Operation Homefront revamps national structure

Operation Homefront revamps national structure
By Karen Jowers
Staff writer
Army Times
Posted : Thursday Jun 21, 2012
The nonprofit Operation Homefront is changing its national structure to more efficiently serve military families, the organization’s leaders said.

Under the change, the administrative, management and governance responsibilities of the local chapters will shift to the national organization, which officials said would let the chapters focus more on directly serving military families.

Operation Homefront provides emergency financial assistance and other help to families of service members and wounded warriors. Families receive grants to help with basic needs such as food, utilities and housing.

Until now, each of the 23 chapters of Operation Homefront was its own nonprofit, with a board of directors and responsibility to fund itself locally, while handling fundraising, accounting, legal registrations, website maintenance and other administrative and management responsibilities. Now each will become a field office of the national organization, if they choose to remain part of Operation Homefront.
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American Legion and VFW groups split on re-employment rights bill

Vets groups split on re-employment rights bill
By Rick Maze
Staff writer
Army Times
Posted : Thursday Jun 21, 2012
A House bill that would expand re-employment rights for veterans has divided the nation’s two largest veterans’ organizations.

The nation’s largest veterans group, the 2.4 million-member American Legion, supports the bill. The nation’s second largest veterans group and the largest for combat veterans, Veterans of Foreign Wars, opposes it because the 2.1 million-member group fears it could make it harder for National Guard and reserve members to get hired by large companies.

Sponsored by Rep. John Garamendi, D-Calif., HR 3860 would limit the ability of companies to claim “undue hardship” as the reason for not rehiring a returning veteran.

Testifying Thursday before the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee’s economic opportunity panel, Garamendi said the “undue hardship” rule in current law is “too lenient in allowing employers to dismiss deployed service members.”

“Currently, an employer is excused from re-employing a returning veteran if the employer’s circumstances have changed in a way that it is now impossible or unreasonable to do so, or imposes an undue hardship,” he said.
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Army finally acknowledges Combat PTSD is different!

UPDATE
Well that didn't end well. Given the latest reports, he still doesn't really get it. The suicide numbers are up and so are the attempted suicides.

Why is he still in the position he's in with these kinds of results?

Don't tell my husband but after reading what Col. Castro had to say, I think I'm in love! Most of what you'll read in this article will seem to be something you read before. You have. But not from someone in the military. It has all been on this blog but largely ignored by the people who have publicity, power and money. I think they may really have a chance of saving the lives of our troops and helping them heal if this guy is on the job.

I suggest when you are done reading all of this you click the link to read the rest because there is a lot more.

Army research looks at new PTSD treatment
June 20, 2012
By Rob McIlvaine

Photo Credit: Courtesy photo
Col. Carl Castro, director of the Military Operational Medicine Research Program.

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, June 20, 2012) -- While there are no simple cures for post-traumatic stress disorder, a leading military researcher said progress is being made with a new treatment method and a number of recent studies.

Col. Carl Castro, director of the Military Operational Medicine Research Program, has been funding studies into post-traumatic stress disorder, known as PTSD, over the past five years, and he said the results are beginning to come in.

"I really think the next eight to nine months are going to be the most exciting as the data comes on line and we can start saying, okay, this is really working, we really know what we're doing here, let's do this," Castro said.

Castro's program funds studies into PTSD at the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command, Fort Detrick, Md.

"Some of the early initial data," Castro said, "looks like we can really treat Soldiers in a two-week compressed time frame. And then we're also looking to see about follow-up, modifying the treatment as we go: the grief, the anger, the second guessing."

Traditionally, he said, psychotherapy is one session per week for 10 weeks. But with the new compressed time frame the Army will use individual and group therapy because Castro wants to take advantage of the natural bonding and cohesion that exists within the military to facilitate recovery.

NO SILVER BULLET

"There's no 'take this drug and you're cured.' There's no, 'come talk to me for 10 minutes and you're cured,' or 'Go to this web link and go through this 20-minute training and you're cured.' There's none of that although people will promise that. I can assure you that does not exist. If it did exist, I'd be the first one saying let's do that," Castro said.

Castro said PTSD can result from many different kinds of exposures: rape, physical assault, earthquakes, national disasters and combat.

"Our current treatments, both psycho and drug therapies, were developed to treat rape and assault victims and had never been validated for use for combat-related PTSD.

"So one of the first things we did was to fund a huge baseline of studies to confirm that the current treatments are effective for treating service members with combat-related PTSD," Castro said. "We wanted to first establish a very solid baseline. We funded these studies about four or five years ago, and they are just now winding up."

As a result it does look like the psycho therapies are effective, but they are not as effective for treating combat-related PTSD as they are for treating rape and sexual assault victims with PTSD.

COMBAT DIAGNOSIS OFTEN DIFFICULT

"Doctor Amy B. Adler and I wrote a paper on why combat-related PTSD is very different than rape or sexual assault PTSD. If you look at the diagnostic criteria for PTSD, it implies that there are no symptoms or reactions present prior to the traumatic event, so all of the reactions and symptoms occur after the event," he said.

In the military, many of the symptoms and reactions that are part of the diagnosis of PTSD are present before a traumatic event ever occurs, he said. For example, having sleep problems and sleep difficulties is a symptom and reaction to trauma.

"But in the military when you deploy to Iraq or Afghanistan or anywhere, your sleep is probably already disrupted. So you're probably already not sleeping well prior to ever being exposed to a traumatic event," he said.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, or DSM, is the criteria by which mental health diagnoses are made.

It's done through the event and the reaction to the event, Castro said. So, the DSM says what should happen when a person is confronted with a traumatic event, they should be horrified, helpless and freeze.

"But Soldiers don't do that. When they're in combat and they see things, their training kicks in, they go on auto pilot and they function. So, even the immediate reaction is very different. And the symptoms can be very different, but if the symptoms are already present before the event, how can the trauma be the cause of those symptoms and reactions?" he asked.

'SUFFERING WHILE FUNCTIONING'

There are symptoms and reactions missing from the DSM that Soldiers often talk about, like extreme anger, grief, second guessing. Castro said the nature of impairment for Soldiers is often quite different than for civilians. The DSM says things such as work, family and life should be disrupted.

"But because of the military structure, Soldiers are still able to show up for work, perform their jobs and carry on, but still have all the symptoms: drinking problems, nightmares; so we call that suffering while functioning," he said.

Castro noted that when Soldiers leave the Army, the military life goes away and then those Soldiers now as civilians come unraveled and they end up going to the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Soldiers are expected to be exposed to traumatic events. They train for it, prepare for it and the Army has them sign wills in case something happens.

Nobody expects to walk down the street and be sexually assaulted or attacked. If there's a dangerous area of town, people stay away.

"But in the military, by its very nature, Soldiers go to dangerous places, so they prepare and train for it," Castro said.

For people not in the military, the traumatic event is unexpected, it's unwanted, it's discrete, it's a single event. Unlike the military, where it's expected, there's multiple and varied events that occur over time, and quite honestly, Castro said, a lot of Soldiers are looking forward to going into combat to prove their courage, and see if they've got what it takes.

ISSUE ABOUT PTSD MISDIAGNOSIS

"The first incidence of this happening was at Fort Carson, Colo., where Soldiers were being dismissed with personality disorders and saying it wasn't related to PTSD, then they'd end up in a Veterans Administration medical hospital. The VA would then say 'this is absolutely post-traumatic stress disorder,'" he explained.

"This is an important distinction because if you have a personality disorder it's an administration separation from the military, but if you have PTSD, it's a medical board disability separation and that's where the money, etc., comes into play," Castro said.

PTSD vs. POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS INJURY - PTSI

He said that changing the name is not going to reduce stigma because Soldiers aren't stupid.

"You could call it apple and pineapple salad and people would say, oh, that means you have PTSD.

It's the same thing around the Army, he said. For instance, the Army has Soldier Resilience Centers as the places to go for mental health issues.

"Soldiers know that's where mental health is. They know you go there if you have a mental health problem. You're not going there to build your resilience; they know this," he said.

It's not going to reduce stigma, he said, and it's not going to fool anybody.

Changing the "D" to an "I", isn't going to help the Soldier, at all. It doesn't make the problem go away by calling it an injury.

read more here

Melissa Harris Perry uses "PTSD" for political gain

There are so many things Perry got wrong in this speech. For staters, 9-11 did not give the nation "PTSD" and if she understood what PTSD was, I doubt she'd stoop so low. 9-11 was a shock to the nation and yes, it caused PTSD in the people living in New York while having to walk past the destruction year after year reminding them the planes hit there and the towers fell there. Reminder of the day their sense of security was shattered and how evil could cause so few to do so much to so many.

The rest of us were in shock but after a few months of being one nation that was attacked we returned to the many groups of this nation and returned to being divided.

It was around this time that all the cable news giants cut their cord to decency and the greater good for a political side where average people lost.

Average Americans don't spend our days talking about politics. We talk about our families, hopes and dreams as well as our fears. How do we pay our bills? How do we afford to take care of our health and worry about the day when our bodies give out. Right now we're not so much worried about when our kids take over and "have to pay our debt" as much as we worry about how to take care of today.

What do we hear from politicians and people on cable news? A foreign language we don't understand even though these talking heads say it is how we feel and what we worry about.

Now Perry joined the growing voices using PTSD for a political point. While we live with PTSD and try to help each other heal, they use it. There are many things that make my blood boil and this is one of them.

Motorcycle ride to raise funds for children of troops killed in war

Motorcycle ride to raise funds for children of troops killed in war
By JAKOB RODGERS
The (Colorado Springs, Colo.) Gazette
Published: June 20, 2012

An upcoming motorcycle ride aims to help children whose parents have died in war.

The Freedom Seekers Association will host a 200-mile motorcycle ride across Colorado on July 7, said Jeff Holt, a member of the club. A portion of the proceeds will go to the Children of Fallen Soldiers Relief Fund. The rest will be donated to children in the Pikes Peak region who have lost a father in combat.

The ride will stop at a handful of war memorials along the Front Range, as well as in the mountains just west of Colorado Springs, Holt said.
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Family needs help getting body of Michael David Copeland out of Iraq

Update

Iraq releases body of US contractor after dispute
June 27, 2012
CBS News

BAGHDAD — The body of an American contractor who was found dead in Baghdad was flown back to the U.S. on Tuesday after a two-week bureaucratic debate over whether the Iraqi government would perform an autopsy on his remains.

Officials said Michael David Copeland, 37, is among a handful of Americans working for the U.S. government to die in Iraq since December. That's when a security agreement between the two nations expired, eliminating immunities that shielded the U.S. military from local laws.

Copeland's case is a snapshot of the new reality of working in Iraq for Americans who, over the years, were accustomed to vast privileges and influence that disappeared when the U.S. troops left.

Officials said Copeland, of Colbert, Okla., moved to Iraq within the last month to take a job on an aviation project with DynCorp International under a State Department contract. His body was found in his bed on June 9, family members said. No foul play was suspected.
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Michael David Copeland served this nation as Marine and then in the National Guards. Had he been killed wearing either uniform, the government would make sure his body came home soon afterwards, but he died working for a defense contractor in Iraq instead. His family needs help getting his body home.

Family of Oklahoma contractor who died in Iraq seeks help getting his body returned
By JERRY WOFFORD
Tulsa World, Okla
Published: June 20, 2012

Family members of a civilian contractor who died in Iraq this month are asking for government officials to put pressure on the Iraqi government to release the body to them.

Michael David Copeland - from Colbert in southern Oklahoma, who served in the Marines and with the Oklahoma Air National Guard - was found dead June 9 in his living quarters in Baghdad. His cause of death has not been released, said Ashley Burke, the vice president of communication for DynCorp International, the company at which Copeland worked.

Michael Wayne Copeland, his father, said his family has spoken with officials from the U.S. State Department and the congressional delegation, but he hasn't seen results.

"Everyone is sorry for our loss and his concern; however, his remains are still in Baghdad," his father said. "All we're interested in is knowing what happened to him and getting him home to lay him to rest."

Copeland's father said he was contacted June 9 by DynCorp officials and notified of his son's death. He said his son had been in Iraq working as an airplane mechanic about a week before his death.

Copeland, 37, served two tours of duty with the Marines before he left and joined the Oklahoma Air National Guard, where he served on another tour. His total military career spanned 13 years, his father said.
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Retirement might unleash PTSD symptoms in Vietnam veterans

Retirement might unleash PTSD symptoms in Vietnam veterans
By LEO SHANE III
Stars and Stripes
Published: June 20, 2012

WASHINGTON — It took Sam Luna more than 35 years to get treatment for his post-traumatic stress disorder.

“I didn’t realize anything was wrong,” the combat-wounded Vietnam veteran said. “I thought I had adjusted well after I came back. I had a job, I had a family, everything looked great from the outside.”

But shortly after he retired in 2004, his anxiety attacks and stress levels increased.

A trip to his local Veterans Affairs hospital triggered war memories. The former soldier started to notice the hair-trigger temper his wife had complained about for years.

He found himself thinking more often about the war — and the friends he lost.

“It was like I had a black box on the mantel for years, but I could ignore it when I left for work every day,” he said. “When I retired, it was still sitting there, waiting for me.”
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VA to Increase Mental Health Care Access

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE  

     

VA to Increase Mental Health Care Access through 200,000 Telemental Health Consultations in 2012

WASHINGTON (June 20, 2012)– In a continuing effort to increase Veterans’ access to mental health care, the Department of Veterans Affairs has set a goal to conduct more than 200,000 clinic-based, telemental health consultations for all mental health specialties in fiscal year 2012.  This follows VA’s announcement last month that it would no longer charge Veterans a copayment when they receive care in their homes from VA health professionals using video conferencing. 

“Telemental health provides Veterans quicker and more efficient access to the types of care they seek,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “We are leveraging technology to reduce the distance they have to travel, increase the flexibility of the system they use, and improve their overall quality of life.  We are expanding the reach of our mental health services beyond our major medical centers and treating Veterans closer to their homes.”

The clinic-based telehealth program involves the more than 800 VA community-based outpatient clinics (CBOCs) where many Veterans receive primary care.  If the CBOCs do not have a mental health care provider available, secure video teleconferencing technology is used to connect the Veteran to a provider within VA’s nationwide system of care. 

As a result, Veterans can arrange appointments at times more in synch with their schedules.  The program improves access to general and specialty services in geographically remote areas where it can be difficult to recruit mental health professionals.

“As technology is improving people’s lives in many areas, telemental health is making access to health care and support easier for Veterans with mental health conditions,” said Dr. Robert A. Petzel, Under Secretary for Health.  “For example, one combat Veteran from Iraq cites telemental health as a critical factor in rebuilding her life and coping with the aftermath of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and military sexual trauma.  Telemental health offered her a safe and convenient setting to receive gender sensitive services that helped her fit back into civilian life after three months of therapy.”

Since the start of the Telemental Health Program, VA has completed over 550,000 patient encounters.  In Fiscal Year 2011 alone, more than 140,000 encounters were conducted with 55,000 Veterans via CBOCs, where providers at 150 hospitals delivered care to veterans at more than 500 clinics. 

The Telehealth Expansion Initiative launched in May 2011 called for an additional 21 regional leads, 144 facility coordinators and 1,150 clinical technicians to VA’s workforce.  When fully implemented, the expansion will provide a potential capacity of 1.2 million consultations annually. 

Video to the home is currently projected to grow to 2,000 patients by the end of fiscal year 2012, with 1,500 using innovative new Internet Protocol (IP) video connected to Veterans’ personal computers. 

In addition to supporting these current programs, the VHA National Telemental Health Center in West Haven, Conn., has pioneered additional new programs that delivered 1,000 specialized patient encounters from mental health experts at multiple VA sites to Veterans throughout the nation.  These include over 100 compensation and pension exams, 700 clinical encounters to over 165 Veterans enrolled in behavioral pain treatment programs, and 200 clinical-video and telephone encounters to over 70 Veterans enrolled in a bipolar disorder treatment program.

This campaign is part of VA’s overall mental health program.  Last year, VA provided quality, specialty mental health services to 1.3 million Veterans.  Since 2009, VA has increased the mental health care budget by 39 percent.  Since 2007, VA has seen a 35 percent increase in the number of Veterans receiving mental health services, and a 41 percent increase in mental health staff.  

In April, as part of an ongoing review of mental health operations, Secretary Shinseki announced VA would add approximately 1,600 mental health clinicians as well as nearly 300 support staff to its existing workforce of 20,590 to help meet the increased demand for mental health services.  The additional staff would include nurses, psychiatrists, psychologists, and social workers. 

For more information, on VA’s telemental health, visit the Office of Telehealth Services athttp://www.telehealth.va.gov/.

More than 24,000 Jobs Will Be Offered to Veterans at Detroit VA for Vets Event

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE       

VA to Host Veteran Hiring Fair at the National Veteran Small Business Conference and Expo in Detroit

More than 24,000 Jobs Will Be Offered to Veterans at Detroit VA for Vets Event

WASHINGTON (June 20, 2012)– The Department of Veterans Affairs Veteran Employment Services Office (VESO) will host its largest hiring fair to date at Detroit’s Cobo Center, June 26-28, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. 

The unique format of this event is one way the VA for Vets program is helping Veterans get career ready.  Veterans can visit www.VAforVets.VA.gov/Detroit now and apply for public and private sector jobs being offered nationwide.  Qualified Veterans will be contacted by employers and scheduled for interviews in advance of the event.

“We are committed to improving the lives of our Veterans and their families, and that means helping them find meaningful employment,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “VA is taking a lead role in seeking innovative ways to bring more Veterans into the civilian workforce.”

VA is hosting three major events at Detroit’s Cobo Center June 26-29:  The VA for Vets Hiring Fair, the Veteran open house, and the National Veterans Small Business Conference and Expo.   The events are expected to attract thousands of Veterans, business owners and federal employees, with an economic impact estimated at $11 million for the city.

More than 24,000 federal and private-sector job openings across the country will be available at the free Veteran Hiring Fair June 26-28.  VA will bring together partners like the First Lady’s “Joining Forces” initiative and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, along with private sector companies, during the fair.  Not only will the fair provide Veterans an opportunity to showcase their skills to potential employers, it will also assist Veterans with resume preparation, interview techniques and career coaching. 

VA hosted a similar event Jan. 18 in Washington, D.C., which attracted over 4,100 Veterans and resulted in over 2,600 on-the-spot interviews and more than 500 tentative job offers.

The open house gives Veterans and their families the chance to find out about the wide range of financial and health care benefits, services and resources that are available from federal, state and community agencies. Veterans can conveniently enroll in VA care, sign up for MyHealtheVet, and get their questions answered face to face.

The National Veterans Small Business Conference and Expo is the premier government event for Veteran-owned businesses.   Last year’s conference in New Orleans drew almost 5,000 attendees, and more than 6,000 participants are expected this year.  VA will provide Veteran-owned and Service-Disabled Veteran-owned businesses with a wide range of information to help them maximize opportunities in the federal workplace.

Known historically as the world’s capital for the transportation industry, the Detroit metro area is reinventing itself with six booming industries: medical research, defense, entertainment, green tech, urban farming, and aeronautics.  About 330,000 Veterans are served by the city’s VA medical center, and more than 704,000 Veterans live in Michigan.

VA invites all interested persons and businesses to attend.  More information about the small business conference is available at www.nationalveteransconference.com. Information and registration for the hiring fair is available atwww.VAforVets.VA.Gov/Detroit.

Orlando VA is a Multi-Million Dollar Debacle

Miller: New Orlando VA is a Multi-Million Dollar Debacle
For more information, contact: Amy K. Mitchell, (202) 225-3527
JUN 15, 2012
Issues: Health Care, Veterans

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Today, Rep. Jeff Miller, Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, issued the following statement regarding the construction of the new Orlando Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center, which will serve approximately 300,000 veterans and is already two years behind schedule:

“VA has painted a rosy picture for the public and the veterans of Florida for the past two years regarding the construction of the long-overdue Orlando Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center. VA’s confidence in the timely and on-budget completion of this project was so great that it devoted ‘bid savings’ from this project for use elsewhere around the country. Needless to say, that confidence has given way to a somber reckoning of serious delays and potential cost-overruns.

“A Contract Cure Notice issued today by the Department of Veterans Affairs has the potential to stop construction at the Orlando site and increase the costs moving forward exponentially, if a resolution is not reached. The Committee was assured by VA officials on March 27, and again on May 18 of this year, that VA was working collaboratively with the contractor to ensure issues surrounding the construction of the facility would be resolved and the new timeline set forth by VA would be met. That was clearly not the case.

“This project has been a multi-million dollar debacle, and a failure of this magnitude deserves accountability at the highest level. Unfortunately, we have seen this pattern before. VA management and oversight of large construction and IT projects across the country has been sorely lacking and fraught with incompetence.

“The current situation in Orlando is inexcusable. Pointing fingers and laying blame will not build the medical center the veterans of Central Florida deserve. I expect answers immediately from VA on the status and cost of this project, and the implication of today’s decision on the delivery of care and services to our veterans.”

Soldier healing after suicide bomber killed friends

Wounded G.I., Bartram Trail grad making 'amazing' progress
Bartram Trail grad injured by suicide bomber overseas tells family 'I love you'
Posted: June 19, 2012
By SHELDON GARDNER

Bartram Trail grad injured by suicide bomber overseas tells family ‘I love you’

After spending two weeks in a coma, U.S. Army Lt. Ryan Timoney, 26, is awake. He is asking for food and drinks — power bars, apples, ice. He has said “I love you” to his family. He can write, and he is using a motorized wheelchair on his own.

“It’s amazing, it’s amazing what he’s doing,” his mother Diane Timoney said over the phone, her voice upbeat, her speech interspersed with laughter.

Her family has hope now, after two weeks of watching Ryan, a Bartram Trail High School graduate, in a hospital bed — silent, motionless, as he struggled to recover from injuries he suffered after a suicide bomber attacked him and 12 other soldiers in Tarin Kowt, Afghanistan. He is being treated at Walter Reed Army Hospital in Bethesda, Md.
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Marine saved woman in Lake Michigan

Marine who rescued woman from lake: 'She asked me to please find Leo'
By Deanese Williams-Harris
June 19, 2012

A Marine from suburban Lockport who saved a woman Monday at an Indiana beach said this evening that he didn't want to return to shore without the woman's friend, who also went into Lake Michigan when a raft the two were on capsized.

"I'm humbled by the praise and recognition, but I'm pretty sad that I wasn't able to help both of them," Marine 2nd Lt. Nicholas Dominguez said in a telephone interview.

Monday afternoon, Dominguez along with relatives were visiting the Beverly Shores area in Indiana where his mother and uncle were raised, he said. While visiting neighbors, they decided to take their dogs out to play on the beach.
read more here

Wounded Warriors press release nothing new

Where is there anything new in this press release from Wounded Warrior Project? We keep waiting for something to come out of this group that is worth the money that has been donated to them and this is what they put out?

Sorry but they still have not lived up to what they could actually do. I am sure they have the passion but they lack imagination and knowledge.

June 15, 2012 01:08 PM Eastern Daylight Time
10 Tips for Helping Someone with PTSD from Wounded Warrior Project™
JACKSONVILLE, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--You don’t have to be a member of the armed forces to have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but nearly 20 percent of service members deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan reported having symptoms. In recognition of June as PTSD Awareness Month, Wounded Warrior Project™ (WWP) is offering 10 tips for how to help someone who may be suffering from PTSD.

“It is a sign of strength for a returning service member to acknowledge they may have PTSD and ask for help”

“It is a sign of strength for a returning service member to acknowledge they may have PTSD and ask for help,” said John Roberts, executive vice president, mental health and family services for Wounded Warrior Project™. ““These 10 tips are meant to directly help those dealing with PTSD,” added Roberts. “They are also to help others understand that PTSD can be treated and is a normal human reaction to abnormally stressful situations. PTSD can happen to anyone.“

10 Tips for Helping Someone with PTSD

1. Let the veteran determine what they are comfortable talking about and don’t push.

2. Deep breathing exercises or getting to a quiet place can help them cope when the stress seems overwhelming.

3. Writing about experiences can help the veteran clarify what is bothering them and help them think of solutions.

4. Alcohol and drugs may seem to help in the short run, but make things worse in the long run.

5. Crowds, trash on the side of the road, fireworks and certain smells can be difficult for veterans coping with PTSD.

6. Be a good listener and don’t say things like, “I know how you felt,” or, “That’s just like when I…” Even if you also served in a combat zone. Everyone’s feelings are unique.

7. www.restorewarriors.org is a website where warriors and their families can find tools on how to work through combat stress and PTSD issues. Learn about more mental health support resources that ease symptoms of combat stress.

8. Remind warriors they are not alone and many others have personal stories they can share about their readjustment. Talking to other warriors can help them cope.

9. Allow and encourage warriors and their family members to express their feelings and thoughts to those who care about them.

10. Let them know that acknowledging they may have PTSD says they’re strong, not weak.

Wounded Warrior Project

The mission of Wounded Warrior Project™ (WWP) is to honor and empower wounded warriors. WWP’s purpose is to raise awareness and to enlist the public’s aid for the needs of injured service members, to help injured servicemen and women aid and assist each other, and to provide unique, direct programs and services to meet their needs. WWP is a national, nonpartisan organization headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida. To get involved and learn more, visit Wounded Warrior Project.

UPDATE June 21, 2012
Free advice for Wounded Warrior Project if you really want to help PTSD veterans heal.

Forget what you read in a textbook! These are the questions they need answers for.

Q Why do I have PTSD but the others I was with don't?
A It is because you feel things more deeply than they do. You don't all have the same anger level, love the same, think the same, have the same sense of humor any more than you all have the same talents at equal levels. Some of your friends may walk away able to "get over it" but if you don't it does not mean you are weaker than they are but you have stronger feelings than they do.

Q Doesn't that mean I'm a sissy?
A No. It means you have compassion and without that, all the courage in the world won't mean anything. Let's say you are the bravest brute in the neighborhood but don't care about anyone. If you saw a kid in the middle of the street, you'd just watch what happens. You have to have compassion to care enough to act and the courage to do something about it. There are a lot of your peers you regard as heroes with some level of PTSD but they just haven't acknowledged it yet.

Q Why do I push people away?
A Some feel they do not deserve to be loved when they have PTSD. Others push people away so they won't get hurt again. Having someone close to you die is a feeling you don't want to suffer from again, so you shut yourself off and emotionally disconnect. Some believe the less they feel the less they'll hurt. This does not make for a very happy life and adds to the miserable thoughts you have.

Q Does it mean I didn't train right if I have PTSD?
A Resiliency Training is a boatload of crap telling you that you can train your brian to prevent PTSD and is a huge part of the problem. I've had Marines telling me they didn't train right and believe they are weak because of this. You need to remember that most of you do not allow yourself to feel the pain as long as your buddies are in danger. Most of you push past it, do your duty to the fullest everyday you are deployed until you are all back home. It is only then that you take down the barrier and allow yourself to feel. That took great courage and dedication to your buddies. It also means that you are unselfish when you could do all you did with that pain inside of you.

Q How do I heal?
A From the inside out. PTSD is caused only one way. From an outside force you had no control over. It hit you. You have to fight it from the inside with all you've got. Mind, body and spirit.
When you get cut, if you don't take care of the wound, it gets infected, spreads out eating away more tissue, getting into your blood stream and hits more parts of your body. It gets worse until you treat it. When you put on an antibiotic, it stops getting worse, begins to heal and as it does, it gets itchy. Once it is gone, how long it was allowed to get worse, predicts how big the scar is.
PTSD works the same way. If you leave it alone and just wait for it to get better, it is getting stronger. If you numb it with alcohol or drugs, you get temporary relief but it gets stronger. You had to learn how to walk leaning on someone you trust, you have to heal the same way and lean on someone you trust now. Talk about it.

That's just the start of what they need to know. I'm not just a consultant. I've lived with what combat does for the last 30 years. I've seen the worst and have been blessed to have been able to stay to see the best come shining through. PTSD does not always win when people have the right kind of weapons to fight it.

If you want to know more, just email me or call me at 407-754-7526.

Gary Sinise foundation building smart house for wounded veteran

Gary Sinise concert to benefit construction of 'smart home' for wounded Whitehall Township veteran
Published: Wednesday, June 20, 2012
By Dustin Schoof
The Express-Times

Express-Times Photo MATT SMITH
U.S. Army Sgt. Adam Keys, of Whitehall Township, who was wounded in Afghanistan in 2010, is greeted by hundreds of community members during a homecoming ceremony back in April.

Adam Keys needs a new home and actor Gary Sinise is helping to build it.

The "Forrest Gump" and "Apollo 13" star and The Lt. Dan Band will perform Aug. 17 at the State Theatre in Easton, organizers announced Tuesday during a news conference at the theater.

Proceeds from the show will go toward the building of a "smart home" for Keys, a U.S. Army sergeant from Whitehall Township who was wounded in 2010 while serving in Afghanistan.

The concert, which will include a performance by tenor Daniel Rodriguez and performance artist Scott LoBaido, is a joint partnership between the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation and the Gary Sinise Foundation.
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