Gulf War illness advocates skeptical of institute panel
USA Today
Kelly Kennedy
June 26, 2013
Veterans advocates expect a showdown between Gulf War veterans and the Department of Veterans Affairs Wednesday when veterans plan to declare they have "no confidence" in new research commissioned by the VA through the Institute of Medicine, advocates say.
The Institute of Medicine will conduct its first meeting Wednesday to determine the definition of Gulf War illness, sparking concern that VA will label it as psychiatric, or, as it has done most recently, lump it into the category of "chronic multisymptom illness." That category includes veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, which is caused after exposure to trauma, or traumatic brain injuries.
"I am very concerned as an ill Gulf War veteran that IOM Gulf War committees and the board overseeing them are disproportionately made up of individuals predisposed toward views of Gulf War Illness that do not reflect current scientific knowledge, including the idea that it is fundamentally psychiatric or psychosomatic," wrote Anthony Hardie, a Gulf War vet and Research Advisory Committee on Gulf War Veterans' Illnesses, in a letter to the institute.
VA officials "reject the notion some have put forward that these physical health symptoms experienced by Gulf War Veterans arise as a result of mental health issues like post-traumatic stress and TBI," said Josh Taylor, a department spokesman.
read more here
Wednesday, June 26, 2013
PTSD and Heart Disease report not new
This isn't new.
9 November, 1999 from BBC
November 2012 Health.com
PTSD linked to hardened arteries
UPDATE ADD THIS TO THE ABOVE
Study: Veterans More Likely To Develop Heart Problems, CBS Detroit, June 26, 2013
Long-Term Effects Of PTSD Revealed: Heart Disease Twice As Likely In Vietnam Veterans With The Disorder
In a study of male twins who served in the Vietnam War, veterans with PTSD were almost twice as likely to develop heart disease over a 13-year period than those without the disorder.
Medical Daily
BY ANTHONY RIVAS
JUN 25, 2013
While most of the media coverage of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) focuses on the rough transition home experienced by veterans of Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq, the disorder has been experienced by veterans from earlier conflicts, dating back to World War II, as well as a number of civilians.
9 November, 1999 from BBC
Post traumatic stress linked to heart disease
Nearly a third of Vietnam veterans were psychologically scarred
A major study of Vietnam veterans has found those who plagued by anxiety attacks or depression as a result of their experiences are also far more likely to suffer from heart problems.
The results of the US study suggest post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may actually cause or greatly accelerate the condition.
November 2012 Health.com
PTSD linked to hardened arteries
Nearly a third of Vietnam veterans were psychologically scarredThere are more reports on this but you get the idea. This is turning into holding reporters accountable day.
A major study of Vietnam veterans has found those who plagued by anxiety attacks or depression as a result of their experiences are also far more likely to suffer from heart problems.
The results of the US study suggest post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may actually cause or greatly accelerate the condition.
UPDATE ADD THIS TO THE ABOVE
Study: Veterans More Likely To Develop Heart Problems, CBS Detroit, June 26, 2013
Veterans deserve the truth about PTSD
Veterans deserve the truth about PTSD
Wounded Times Blog
Kathie Costos
June 6, 2013
A good place to start on this is attacking the news reports coming out insinuating there is anything new on PTSD. This is insulting to all veterans and advocates. They are angry because they have paid attention. They also earned the right to be treated properly. Given the fact that as reports come out, the truth has been covered up. They are dying needlessly because reporters ignore the history of efforts claiming to be addressing PTSD as well as suicides. Veterans deserve the truth.
This is PTSD Awareness Month but while it may sound like a new endeavor, it isn't. Wounded Times even has the link up on the sidebar. It is up there because far too many people still don't understand it. The veterans know what it is doing to them. Their families are starting to learn about it. But what if I told you raising awareness started for OEF and OIF veterans back in 2008?
Major General David Blackledge came out and talked about his own battle with PTSD.
Blackledge was followed by General Cater Ham talking openly about his battle with PTSD.
By the end of 2008 Army Times reported that more than two thirds of Americans had no clue what PTSD was.
A month later, January of 2009 the DOD suicide prevention conference started to focus on PTSD and the stigma.
In March of 2009, The Department of Defense testified before Congress on A hearing meant to give Defense Department officials a chance to explain their plans for spending $900 million allocated for mental health care quickly turned into a debate on how that money should be spent.
Studied to death was a proper choice of words considering that 2012 brought the highest number of attempted and successful suicides tied to military service after billions had been spent. Congress has been just as guilty of talking about it, funding bills and pushing programs that have not produced good results. What do they do? They fund more of the same and veterans, well, they get news reporters pretending that everything being done today is new.
Now that you have some idea, you need to know that efforts to raise awareness about PTSD had started many years before. FOR THE LOVE OF JACK, HIS WAR/MY BATTLE told the story of what was happening to Vietnam veterans and their families and was originally released in April of 2003.
Read THE WARRIOR SAW, SUICIDES AFTER WAR so that you will know who did what and when it was done. Billions spent funding the same programs that have a history of failure. Reporters ignoring the voices of psychiatrists and psychologists and advocates screaming about how the programs have made it worse and in fact prevented far too many from seeking help. History has proven we were right all along. How families suffered without knowing what they could do to help. If you think there is no need to fear what is coming, consider this last thought. The Department of Defense still has not released their comprehensive report on military suicides for 2012. It is almost the end of June. The data should have been released months ago. The report on Army, National Guards and Reservists for May have not been released yet. This all points to a very bleak outcome for all the campaigns to raise awareness and prevent needless suffering.
Wounded Times Blog
Kathie Costos
June 6, 2013
A good place to start on this is attacking the news reports coming out insinuating there is anything new on PTSD. This is insulting to all veterans and advocates. They are angry because they have paid attention. They also earned the right to be treated properly. Given the fact that as reports come out, the truth has been covered up. They are dying needlessly because reporters ignore the history of efforts claiming to be addressing PTSD as well as suicides. Veterans deserve the truth.
This is PTSD Awareness Month but while it may sound like a new endeavor, it isn't. Wounded Times even has the link up on the sidebar. It is up there because far too many people still don't understand it. The veterans know what it is doing to them. Their families are starting to learn about it. But what if I told you raising awareness started for OEF and OIF veterans back in 2008?
Major General David Blackledge came out and talked about his own battle with PTSD.
"It's part of our profession ... nobody wants to admit that they've got a weakness in this area," Blackledge said of mental health problems among troops returning from America's two wars.
"I have dealt with it. I'm dealing with it now," said Blackledge, who came home with post-traumatic stress. "We need to be able to talk about it."
As the nation marks another Veterans Day, thousands of troops are returning from Iraq and Afghanistan with anxiety, depression and other emotional problems.
Up to 20 percent of the more than 1.7 million who've served in the wars are estimated to have symptoms. In a sign of how tough it may be to change attitudes, roughly half of those who need help aren't seeking it, studies have found.
Blackledge was followed by General Cater Ham talking openly about his battle with PTSD.
Now the commander of U.S. Army Europe, Ham, along with his wife, discussed his post-combat difficulties in an interview just before Christmas. It was the second interview the pair have given to a newspaper. Their willingness to speak publicly about the issue is rare in traditional military culture, but they appeared entirely comfortable. “Frankly, it’s a little weird to me that people are making a big deal about it,” Ham said of the response to his openness. “Like lots of soldiers I needed a little help, and I got a little help.”
By the end of 2008 Army Times reported that more than two thirds of Americans had no clue what PTSD was.
A month later, January of 2009 the DOD suicide prevention conference started to focus on PTSD and the stigma.
An Army staff sergeant who had lost Soldiers in the war zone was called a coward, a wimp and a wuss from a leader when he mentioned he might need psychological help.
It is this type of stigma from toxic leadership that can kill, and that is being examined by scientists, clinicians and specialists in an attempt to eliminate it, said Army Brig. Gen. (Dr.) Loree K. Sutton, who is the Army's highest ranking psychiatrist.
Dr. Sutton described the staff sergeant's real experience during her opening remarks of the 2009 Department of Defense/Veterans Affairs Annual Suicide Prevention Conference being held Jan. 12 through 15 in San Antonio. More than 750 people -- specialists from the military, VA, and civilian social workers, chaplains, researchers, and family members effected by suicide -- gathered with a common goal of finding ways to reduce suicide.
"The secretary of Defense and chairman of the joint chiefs have both emphasized, 'seeking help is a sign of profound courage and strength.
In March of 2009, The Department of Defense testified before Congress on A hearing meant to give Defense Department officials a chance to explain their plans for spending $900 million allocated for mental health care quickly turned into a debate on how that money should be spent.
As yet, military experts on post-traumatic stress disorder and traumatic brain injuries are still working out which studies should be funded, which treatment methods should be adopted and which pilot programs should be put in place.
“We keep getting studies,” Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., chairman of the House defense appropriations panel, said at a hearing Tuesday. “That’s the problem with the Defense Department — they study it to death.”.
Studied to death was a proper choice of words considering that 2012 brought the highest number of attempted and successful suicides tied to military service after billions had been spent. Congress has been just as guilty of talking about it, funding bills and pushing programs that have not produced good results. What do they do? They fund more of the same and veterans, well, they get news reporters pretending that everything being done today is new.
Now that you have some idea, you need to know that efforts to raise awareness about PTSD had started many years before. FOR THE LOVE OF JACK, HIS WAR/MY BATTLE told the story of what was happening to Vietnam veterans and their families and was originally released in April of 2003.
Read THE WARRIOR SAW, SUICIDES AFTER WAR so that you will know who did what and when it was done. Billions spent funding the same programs that have a history of failure. Reporters ignoring the voices of psychiatrists and psychologists and advocates screaming about how the programs have made it worse and in fact prevented far too many from seeking help. History has proven we were right all along. How families suffered without knowing what they could do to help. If you think there is no need to fear what is coming, consider this last thought. The Department of Defense still has not released their comprehensive report on military suicides for 2012. It is almost the end of June. The data should have been released months ago. The report on Army, National Guards and Reservists for May have not been released yet. This all points to a very bleak outcome for all the campaigns to raise awareness and prevent needless suffering.
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
A veteran's journey from the brink of suicide
How is this good reporting? Miller came close to committing suicide "five years ago" but they added in the wrong number of successful suicides from last year. Will they ever get this right?
A veteran's journey from the brink of suicide
AP
CBS
June 25, 2013
WASHINGTON Five years ago, Joe Miller, then an Army Ranger captain with three Iraq tours under his belt, sat inside his home near Fort Bragg holding a cocked Beretta 40mm, and prepared to kill himself.
He didn't pull the trigger. So Miller's name wasn't added to the list of active-duty U.S. military men and women who have committed suicide. That tally reached 350 last year, a record pace of nearly one a day. That's more than the 295 American troops who were killed in Afghanistan in the same year.
"I didn't see any hope for me at the time. Everything kind of fell apart," Miller said.
"Helplessness, worthlessness. I had been having really serious panic attacks. I had been hospitalized for a while." He said he pulled back at the last minute when he recalled how he had battled the enemy in Iraq, and decided he would fight his own depression and post-traumatic stress.
read more here
HBO's 'Real Sports' examines MMA and PTSD tonight
Video: HBO's 'Real Sports' examines MMA and PTSD tonight
by MMAjunkie.com
Staff
Jun 25, 2013
HBO's "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel" tonight examines how some military veterans are combatting post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with a seemingly unlikely activity: MMA training.
read more here
There are no "one size fits all" treatment for PTSD so keep trying until you find what works for you.
by MMAjunkie.com
Staff
Jun 25, 2013
HBO's "Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel" tonight examines how some military veterans are combatting post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) with a seemingly unlikely activity: MMA training.
read more here
There are no "one size fits all" treatment for PTSD so keep trying until you find what works for you.
Widow of Chris Kyle makes claims about PTSD that are not true
Angry widow of America's deadliest sniper says claiming PTSD is no excuse for his murder
Daily Mail
By JAMES NYE
25 June 2013
The unforgiving widow of ex-Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, famed as 'America's Deadliest Sniper' refuses to accept that PTSD be used as an excuse by her husband's killer.
Talking about Eddie Ray Routh, the Marine reservist who shot dead Kyle and his friend Chad Littlefield in February at a Texas shooting range, Taya Kyle said that she had no intention of ever absolving him.
Taya Kyle, 38, told CBS DFW that PTSD is a condition that does influence a sufferers mood, but 'You're not going to blame someone else, in my opinion when you murder two people in cold blood.'
Chris Kyle was the author of the bestselling book, 'American Sniper' and was writing a new book, 'American Gun: A History of the U.S. in Ten Firearms' at the time of his death. The book is on general release now.
The sniper was so feared by insurgents in Iraq, that an $80,000 bounty was placed on his head and he was known by his nickname of 'Al-Shaitain Rama' - 'The Devil of Ramadi'.
Chris Kyle's alleged killer, Routh, 25, has claimed he was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and that Kyle was helping him through his condition. However, Taya' scorn for Routh's claims are evident through the manner in which she speaks of those who live with PTSD.
'They (those with PTSD) worked through their struggles, just like we work through our struggles. They are phenomenal people and it doesn’t change their character,' said Taya to CBS DFW.
'Might change their mood once in a while, might have sleepless nights, doesn’t make them a murderer.'
Daily Mail
By JAMES NYE
25 June 2013
The unforgiving widow of ex-Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, famed as 'America's Deadliest Sniper' refuses to accept that PTSD be used as an excuse by her husband's killer.
Talking about Eddie Ray Routh, the Marine reservist who shot dead Kyle and his friend Chad Littlefield in February at a Texas shooting range, Taya Kyle said that she had no intention of ever absolving him.
Taya Kyle, 38, told CBS DFW that PTSD is a condition that does influence a sufferers mood, but 'You're not going to blame someone else, in my opinion when you murder two people in cold blood.'
Chris Kyle was the author of the bestselling book, 'American Sniper' and was writing a new book, 'American Gun: A History of the U.S. in Ten Firearms' at the time of his death. The book is on general release now.
The sniper was so feared by insurgents in Iraq, that an $80,000 bounty was placed on his head and he was known by his nickname of 'Al-Shaitain Rama' - 'The Devil of Ramadi'.
Chris Kyle's alleged killer, Routh, 25, has claimed he was suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and that Kyle was helping him through his condition. However, Taya' scorn for Routh's claims are evident through the manner in which she speaks of those who live with PTSD.
'They (those with PTSD) worked through their struggles, just like we work through our struggles. They are phenomenal people and it doesn’t change their character,' said Taya to CBS DFW.
'Might change their mood once in a while, might have sleepless nights, doesn’t make them a murderer.'
In an interview earlier this month, Taya said she does not believe that Routh was a PTSD sufferer. 'People who have PTSD don’t talk about it. They don’t use it as an excuse. They carry guns and they do good work and love their families,' she said to the New York Post. 'They struggle, but it doesn’t change their character.' read more here
Army announces it is cutting 80,000 soldiers
How much would you like to bet they go after PTSD, TBI and wounded but still want to serve?
Army Announces Force Structure and Stationing Decisions
Today the Department of the Army announced force structure and stationing decisions associated with the active component end-strength reduction of 80,000 soldiers, resulting in an Army end-strength of 490,000 by 2017. These reductions are consistent with fiscal constraints resulting from the Budget Control Act of 2011 and defense planning guidance issued in 2012, but do not reflect additional reductions that will be required if sequestration-driven funding reductions remain unmitigated.
Based on extensive analysis, the lessons of a dozen years of combat and the need to increase operational capability and flexibility, the Army will make the following changes to its force structure:
-Reorganize infantry and armor brigade combat teams (BCTs) to restore the third maneuver battalion and increase engineer and fires capability.
-Reduce active component BCTs from 45 modular to 33 reorganized BCTs.
-Continue growth in aviation, special operations, missile defense and cyber capabilities.
This active component force structure, in conjunction with Army National Guard and Army Reserve capabilities, supports the current defense strategy and meets combatant command requirements through regional alignment of forces and global responsiveness for contingencies. The decision to restructure armor and infantry BCTs helps mitigate the loss of BCTs by eliminating the headquarters but preserving 13 Armor and Infantry battalions that would be lost without the reorganization.
Stationing decisions necessitated by the reductions and reorganization were based on a comprehensive analysis of installation quantitative and qualitative considerations to include training, power projection, well-being, expansibility, regeneration, geographic distribution, environmental and socio-economic impacts, cost, and alignment with the defense strategy. Opportunities for community input were included through both the programmatic environment assessment public comment period and community listening sessions conducted in parallel with the military value analysis and qualitative stationing analysis, prior to the final decision.
Based on this comprehensive analysis, a BCT will inactivate at each of the following locations by 2017:
Fort Bliss, Texas; Fort Bragg, N.C.; Fort Campbell, Ky; Fort Carson, Colo.; Fort Drum, N.Y.; Fort Hood, Texas; Fort Knox, Ky.; Fort Riley, Kan.; Fort Stewart, Ga., and Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. Two BCTs, stationed at Baumholder and Grafenwoehr, Germany, will complete their inactivation in Fiscal Year 2013, leaving two BCTs in Europe to fulfill strategic commitments.
The reduction of 80,000 soldiers from the force represents a 14 percent reduction across the AC force. The specific impacts of these decisions on individual installations are being provided to affected Congressional delegations. The Army will conduct Congressional notification in accordance with Section 993, Title 10 U.S.C. prior to taking any irrevocable actions to implement these decisions.
read more here
Meet your battle buddy: the chaplain assistant
Meet your battle buddy: the chaplain assistant
1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division
Story by Pfc. Paige Pendleton
FORT HOOD, Texas – Many soldiers can explain the role of their unit’s chaplain, but do they know about the soldier supporting him from behind the scenes?
The Army offers more than 200 military occupational specialties, or jobs, that can be made into careers and carried over into the civilian world.
The role of the chaplain assistant begins with exactly what the name describes: assisting the chaplain. Although this MOS has a humble title, the scope of its duties is multi-faceted.
“Our MOS is not really well defined,” said Kingsport, Tenn. native Sgt. Nicholas Teague, the chaplain assistant for the 1st “Centurion” Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 1st “Ironhorse” Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division. “The job isn’t really self explanatory.”
Teague said some of his duties include providing religious support to soldiers at the battalion level, preparing for religious services, providing security for the chaplain while deployed, planning retreats and talking to soldiers in need of a release.
Killeen, Texas, native Capt. Marshall Coen, the Ironhorse Brigade’s Chaplain, said chaplain assistants are invaluable and their primary role is to ensure the chaplain does well.
read more here
1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division
Story by Pfc. Paige Pendleton
FORT HOOD, Texas – Many soldiers can explain the role of their unit’s chaplain, but do they know about the soldier supporting him from behind the scenes?
The Army offers more than 200 military occupational specialties, or jobs, that can be made into careers and carried over into the civilian world.
The role of the chaplain assistant begins with exactly what the name describes: assisting the chaplain. Although this MOS has a humble title, the scope of its duties is multi-faceted.
“Our MOS is not really well defined,” said Kingsport, Tenn. native Sgt. Nicholas Teague, the chaplain assistant for the 1st “Centurion” Brigade Special Troops Battalion, 1st “Ironhorse” Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division. “The job isn’t really self explanatory.”
Teague said some of his duties include providing religious support to soldiers at the battalion level, preparing for religious services, providing security for the chaplain while deployed, planning retreats and talking to soldiers in need of a release.
Killeen, Texas, native Capt. Marshall Coen, the Ironhorse Brigade’s Chaplain, said chaplain assistants are invaluable and their primary role is to ensure the chaplain does well.
read more here
Soldiers leaving Fort Hood for deployment into Egypt?
400 US troops to deploy to Egypt
RT News
June 24, 2013
More than 400 US soldiers are preparing for their deployment to Egypt in anticipation of violent protests, riots, and the possibility of having to protect the country’s border with Israel.
Training at Fort Hood for a nine-month deployment in the “near future” concluded on June 20, KCEN-TV reports, noting that the soldiers encountered Molotov cocktails and “other dangerous items” in their training.
“Just what I’ve seen over the course of the past week, this unit is already far more ready for this type of threat than we were last week,” Lt. Matthew Wilkinson told the television station. According to KDH News, the training lasted about six months.
read more here
RT News
June 24, 2013
More than 400 US soldiers are preparing for their deployment to Egypt in anticipation of violent protests, riots, and the possibility of having to protect the country’s border with Israel.
Training at Fort Hood for a nine-month deployment in the “near future” concluded on June 20, KCEN-TV reports, noting that the soldiers encountered Molotov cocktails and “other dangerous items” in their training.
“Just what I’ve seen over the course of the past week, this unit is already far more ready for this type of threat than we were last week,” Lt. Matthew Wilkinson told the television station. According to KDH News, the training lasted about six months.
read more here
Baltimore VA Among Worst In Nation
Baltimore VA Among Worst In Nation; Sen. Mikulski Works To Change That
CBS News
June 24, 2013
BALTIMORE (WJZ) — The Veterans Administration offices here in Baltimore are among the worst in the nation in getting disability claims processed.
As Mike Schuh reports–it took over a year for a decision to come down. Now Senator Barbara Mikulski and others are using their power to get the VA to change how it does business.
They served their country, many are injured and now they want the VA to hold up their end of the bargain and provide the medical care they promised.
But here in Baltimore, the time between filing a benefits claim and getting an answer routinely ran over a year—and then 25% of those cases were mishandled. It’s the highest percentage of any VA office in the country.
Veterans at the hospital downtown were appalled.
read more here
CBS News
June 24, 2013
BALTIMORE (WJZ) — The Veterans Administration offices here in Baltimore are among the worst in the nation in getting disability claims processed.
As Mike Schuh reports–it took over a year for a decision to come down. Now Senator Barbara Mikulski and others are using their power to get the VA to change how it does business.
They served their country, many are injured and now they want the VA to hold up their end of the bargain and provide the medical care they promised.
But here in Baltimore, the time between filing a benefits claim and getting an answer routinely ran over a year—and then 25% of those cases were mishandled. It’s the highest percentage of any VA office in the country.
Veterans at the hospital downtown were appalled.
read more here
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