Vietnam vet says study vindication
Otago Daily Times Australia
By John Gibb
Tue, 3 Sep 2013
After hearing official denials for decades, Vietnam war veteran Ted Gordon feels vindicated by University of Otago research showing New Zealand veterans of that war are twice as likely to develop chronic lymphatic leukemia.
''It shows we were right,'' he said yesterday.
The study, whose lead author is Associate Prof David McBride, of the university's preventive and social medicine department, also found a doubling of the risk of mortality from cancers of the head and neck, as well as an increase in oral cancers of the pharynx and larynx, among Vietnam veterans compared with the general population.
This is the first comprehensive study to produce ''hard data'' showing adverse health effects on New Zealand veterans from their service in Vietnam, researchers say. And the study will shortly appear in the international journal BMJ Open.
read more here
Here is the list from the US Department of Veterans Affairs
New Conditions VA Presumes Are Related to Herbicide Exposure (Agent Orange)
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
NYPD Officer Serves in Afghanistan as Marine
NYPD Officer Serves in Afghanistan as Marine
Military.com
American Forces Press Service
by Cpl. Paul Peterson
Sep 03, 2013
CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan – Before the War on Terror, the toppling of the oppressive Taliban regime in Afghanistan, or the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, a young boy from the Bronx knew one thing: he wanted to help.
Marine Corps Sgt. Jonathan L. Vasquez was that boy in New York City. Today, Vasquez is a Marine Corps reservist currently serving with Combat Logistics Regiment 2, Regional Command-Southwest, in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
“I’ve been that way since I was young,” said Vasquez, who spent four years persistently applying to become a New York City police officer after joining the military at the age of 17.
“Both the career choices I made happen to help people. It’s the best of both worlds, I say,” he said.
While already committed to the idea of public service, the attacks on the World Trade Center changed things for the then-12-year-old Vasquez.
read more here
Military.com
American Forces Press Service
by Cpl. Paul Peterson
Sep 03, 2013
CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan – Before the War on Terror, the toppling of the oppressive Taliban regime in Afghanistan, or the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, a young boy from the Bronx knew one thing: he wanted to help.
Marine Corps Sgt. Jonathan L. Vasquez was that boy in New York City. Today, Vasquez is a Marine Corps reservist currently serving with Combat Logistics Regiment 2, Regional Command-Southwest, in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
“I’ve been that way since I was young,” said Vasquez, who spent four years persistently applying to become a New York City police officer after joining the military at the age of 17.
“Both the career choices I made happen to help people. It’s the best of both worlds, I say,” he said.
While already committed to the idea of public service, the attacks on the World Trade Center changed things for the then-12-year-old Vasquez.
read more here
Fort Hood soldier arrested and faces murder charge
Fort Hood soldier arrested and faces murder charge
News 25 ABC
By C.J. Gardner
Posted: Sep 02, 2013
FORT HOOD
A 26-year-old Fort Hood soldier has been arrested and is facing a charge of murder.
At this time, the Army is saying that Sgt. Wessel is being held in connection with a shooting incident and charges are pending. Sgt. Wessel is a soldier in the First Cav. Division and resides on Fort Hood.
Fort Hood is not releasing any information on the offense or the victim.
read more here
News 25 ABC
By C.J. Gardner
Posted: Sep 02, 2013
FORT HOOD
A 26-year-old Fort Hood soldier has been arrested and is facing a charge of murder.
At this time, the Army is saying that Sgt. Wessel is being held in connection with a shooting incident and charges are pending. Sgt. Wessel is a soldier in the First Cav. Division and resides on Fort Hood.
Fort Hood is not releasing any information on the offense or the victim.
read more here
Navy Corpsman wounded in Afghanistan now running on tennis court
Navy corpsman Anderson shot in Afghanistan, now a U.S. Open ball person
New York Post
By HOWIE KUSSOY
August 31, 2013
The date is embedded in Angelo Anderson’s skin, embedded in his being.
The Navy corpsman sees the date — July 2, 2010 — every day, carved in ink in Roman numerals in his right thigh, marking the day that everything changed, the day that everything almost ended.
“It’s so significant that I just wanted to have it around forever,” said Anderson told The Post. “The story, the date itself, is really when the story became mine.”
The story opened in Afghanistan with the sound of a three-round burst from out of sight, leaving Anderson on the ground, struck by two bullets, which broke the femur in his right leg and the humerus in his right arm.
Today, just over three years later, the 24-year-old will sprint past some of the best tennis players in the world across the asphalt of Flushing Meadows as one of the oldest — and most remarkable — of all the ball persons at the U.S. Open.
“It definitely made me never take anything for granted,” Anderson said. “If that day would’ve been fatal, I wouldn’t have had today.”
The Georgia native joined the Navy after high school and reported to Afghanistan in December 2009, working as a field medical surgeon’s technician who was integrated with the Marines.
For more than six months, Anderson enjoyed the experience and education, speaking with local villagers and helping fellow service members. Then came the sound, on a day of normal patrol, which left Anderson bleeding on the ground, waiting for the firefight to end.
read more here
New York Post
By HOWIE KUSSOY
August 31, 2013
The date is embedded in Angelo Anderson’s skin, embedded in his being.
The Navy corpsman sees the date — July 2, 2010 — every day, carved in ink in Roman numerals in his right thigh, marking the day that everything changed, the day that everything almost ended.
“It’s so significant that I just wanted to have it around forever,” said Anderson told The Post. “The story, the date itself, is really when the story became mine.”
The story opened in Afghanistan with the sound of a three-round burst from out of sight, leaving Anderson on the ground, struck by two bullets, which broke the femur in his right leg and the humerus in his right arm.
Today, just over three years later, the 24-year-old will sprint past some of the best tennis players in the world across the asphalt of Flushing Meadows as one of the oldest — and most remarkable — of all the ball persons at the U.S. Open.
“It definitely made me never take anything for granted,” Anderson said. “If that day would’ve been fatal, I wouldn’t have had today.”
The Georgia native joined the Navy after high school and reported to Afghanistan in December 2009, working as a field medical surgeon’s technician who was integrated with the Marines.
For more than six months, Anderson enjoyed the experience and education, speaking with local villagers and helping fellow service members. Then came the sound, on a day of normal patrol, which left Anderson bleeding on the ground, waiting for the firefight to end.
read more here
The Soul Survivor of Combat
The Soul Survivor of Combat
De-tour Combat PTSD Survivor's Guide
Kathie Costos
September 3, 3013
Before we begin, there are several things that have to get out of the way. The first thing you need to know is that God is not punishing you. You are doing a good enough job of that on your own. He didn't abandon you or put the whammy on your head. Just because you didn't notice what came from God during combat doesn't mean it was not all around you.
Most wonder how a loving God can allow all the horrors and suffering in combat. The fact is, He has to allow it. God doesn't mess with freewill. Every human is free to make their own choices and that includes leaders of nations. Wars have been fought since one caveman clan decided they wanted what another clan had. When other humans decide to start wars, it is up to the war fighters to carry it out but when you really get to the bottom of why you were willing to die, it isn't for the deciders. You do it for each other.
The fact you are still grieving means you still care. You cared then. You cared when one of your buddies was killed as much as you cared when one was wounded. You cared when prayed, wished, hoped or screamed for an end to the horrors going on all around you. You cared when you put your arm around a friend but showed you cared even more when you comforted another soldier you didn't really like. When you shed a tear, you cared. Caring, especially in that kind of action, being able to think about someone else other than yourself, showed that God was there all along.
Another thing to get out of the way is the notion that Combat PTSD is the same as all others. While there are different levels there are also different types and Combat PTSD is much different from the others. The only type that comes close is what police officers get because most of the time they have to decide to use their weapons or not. They are not just responding to the danger, they participate in it must like you did.
If you think PTSD means you are demented instead of tormented, you need to know the difference.
Demented is Mentally ill; insane. Suffering from dementia or a loss of cognitive function
While tormented is,
PTSD has nothing to do with what you were born with but has everything to do with what was done to you. The only way to get PTSD is by surviving a traumatic event. How many times did that happen while you were deployed and then add up the other deployments you had but don't stop there. You have to add in what happened during training as well. (We'll discuss this during the week)
read more here
De-tour Combat PTSD Survivor's Guide
Kathie Costos
September 3, 3013
Before we begin, there are several things that have to get out of the way. The first thing you need to know is that God is not punishing you. You are doing a good enough job of that on your own. He didn't abandon you or put the whammy on your head. Just because you didn't notice what came from God during combat doesn't mean it was not all around you.
Most wonder how a loving God can allow all the horrors and suffering in combat. The fact is, He has to allow it. God doesn't mess with freewill. Every human is free to make their own choices and that includes leaders of nations. Wars have been fought since one caveman clan decided they wanted what another clan had. When other humans decide to start wars, it is up to the war fighters to carry it out but when you really get to the bottom of why you were willing to die, it isn't for the deciders. You do it for each other.
The fact you are still grieving means you still care. You cared then. You cared when one of your buddies was killed as much as you cared when one was wounded. You cared when prayed, wished, hoped or screamed for an end to the horrors going on all around you. You cared when you put your arm around a friend but showed you cared even more when you comforted another soldier you didn't really like. When you shed a tear, you cared. Caring, especially in that kind of action, being able to think about someone else other than yourself, showed that God was there all along.
Another thing to get out of the way is the notion that Combat PTSD is the same as all others. While there are different levels there are also different types and Combat PTSD is much different from the others. The only type that comes close is what police officers get because most of the time they have to decide to use their weapons or not. They are not just responding to the danger, they participate in it must like you did.
If you think PTSD means you are demented instead of tormented, you need to know the difference.
Demented is Mentally ill; insane. Suffering from dementia or a loss of cognitive function
While tormented is,
1. Great physical pain or mental anguish.
2. A source of harassment, annoyance, or pain.
3. The torture inflicted on prisoners under interrogation.
1. To cause to undergo great physical pain or mental anguish. See Synonyms at afflict.
2. To agitate or upset greatly.
3. To annoy, pester, or harass.
PTSD has nothing to do with what you were born with but has everything to do with what was done to you. The only way to get PTSD is by surviving a traumatic event. How many times did that happen while you were deployed and then add up the other deployments you had but don't stop there. You have to add in what happened during training as well. (We'll discuss this during the week)
read more here
Naval Hospital opens doors to 9,000 more patients
Naval Hospital opens doors to 9,000 more patients
By THOMAS BRENNAN Daily News Staff
JD News.com
Published: Friday, August 30, 2013
An expansion at the base hospital means there is now room for 9,000 additional patients — and base officials say that may mean a change in providers for some patients who currently receive care from the civilian sector.
The Naval Hospital aboard Camp Lejeune has begun seeing patients in its newest wing, making them capable of caring for more than 31,000 patients across the hospital’s directorates. The additional services include family medicine, internal medicine and pediatrics.
For those currently being seen out in town by a civilian provider, a letter will be mailed to them directing them to the Naval Hospital for future care. People who do not wish to interrupt their continuity of care can request to opt out by writing a letter, which will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, according to Navy Capt. David Lane, the commanding officer of the Naval Hospital.
“We’ve had a voluntary (enrollment) program since May that has increased our enrollment numbers, but only marginally,” Lane said. “We want people on base or within 30 minutes to be seen at our facility. ...We want to be the medical center of choice.”
Fifteen percent of the slots now available — or 4,800 — will be made available to retirees, including those older than 65.
read more here
Monday, September 2, 2013
Florida Marines taking 81 mile hike for fallen
Marines to hike 81 miles over Labor Day weekend to honor Fallujah heroes
INFANTRY IRAQ MARINES
POSTED BY GINA HARKINS
AUGUST 29TH, 2013
A group of Marine reservists are leading a three-day, 81 mile hike in Florida this weekend to honor those who died in the Battle of Fallujah in 2004.
Maj. Charleston Malkemus, an infantry officer who fought in the infamous Battle of Fallujah in Iraq in 2004, carries a flag he received from a Marine who was killed in action. He said he now displays it in his company office to remind other Marines of their commitment to uphold the expectations of their brothers-in-arms. And this weekend, he will carry the flag 81 miles as he helps lead a hike from West Palm Beach to Miami.
“Picking up a flag and carrying it forward into battle has been an act of inspiration for ages,” Malkemus said. “When my fellow Marine died and I received his flag, I wasn’t only entrusted to carry on his spirit, but to ensure that I carried it forward into greatness.”
read more here
INFANTRY IRAQ MARINES
POSTED BY GINA HARKINS
AUGUST 29TH, 2013
A group of Marine reservists are leading a three-day, 81 mile hike in Florida this weekend to honor those who died in the Battle of Fallujah in 2004.
 |
| A group of Marines, leading an 81-mile hike in Florida to honor those who died fighting in Fallujah, Iraq in 2004, stand with their governor. From left to right: Cpl. Larry Rubino, Staff Sgt. Denis Vanegas, Florida Gov. Rick Scott, Capt. Jason Wetherington, Capt. Chris Troken and Maj. Charleston Malkemus. (Courtesy of Maj. Charleston Malkemus) |
“Picking up a flag and carrying it forward into battle has been an act of inspiration for ages,” Malkemus said. “When my fellow Marine died and I received his flag, I wasn’t only entrusted to carry on his spirit, but to ensure that I carried it forward into greatness.”
read more here
Marine Corps Website hacked by Syrian "electronic Army"
Syrian Electronic Army Hacks Marines Website
Wall Street Journal
By Julian E. Barnes
September 2, 2013
A collection of pro-Syrian government hackers apparently defaced a Marine Corps recruitment website Monday.
The Syrian Electronic Army, which has hacked a series of websites, posted a letter on the Marines.com website arguing the Syrian government is “fighting a vile common enemy.”
“The Syrian army should be your ally not your enemy,” the letter read. “Refuse your orders and concentrate on the real reason every soldier joins their military, to defend their homeland. You’re more than welcome to fight alongside our army rather than against it.”
read more here
Wall Street Journal
By Julian E. Barnes
September 2, 2013
Screen shot of Marine Corps website.
A collection of pro-Syrian government hackers apparently defaced a Marine Corps recruitment website Monday.
The Syrian Electronic Army, which has hacked a series of websites, posted a letter on the Marines.com website arguing the Syrian government is “fighting a vile common enemy.”
“The Syrian army should be your ally not your enemy,” the letter read. “Refuse your orders and concentrate on the real reason every soldier joins their military, to defend their homeland. You’re more than welcome to fight alongside our army rather than against it.”
read more here
Special courts for veterans expanding across the US
Special courts for veterans expanding across US
The Associated Press
Published: September 2, 2013
PHILADELPHIA -- Former National Guardsman Paul Piscitelli is in Philadelphia Municipal Court to answer to drug and theft charges. Elijah Peters, who served in the Army in Afghanistan and Iraq, was arrested twice for assault.
Like all the defendants appearing before Judge Patrick Dugan on a recent Wednesday, Piscitelli and Peters are veterans who chose to have their cases handled in a special court established for those once in the military.
More than justice is meted out.
Before the judge takes the bench, a volunteer approaches the veterans one by one offering help with such things as resume-writing and job hunting. A second volunteer steers them to long-distance runs and fitness classes. A representative from a community college discusses the advantages of higher education.
There's also a worker from the local Veterans Affairs medical center who's checking to make sure defendants are getting doctor appointments, disability benefits, housing vouchers or any other benefit to which they're entitled.
"This is the touchy, feely, kissy, huggy court," explained Janet DiTomasso, who helps administer the Philadelphia court.
The veterans court operates under the philosophy that many of the defendants who have run into trouble with the law need treatment, not incarceration. Some courts only take misdemeanor cases. Some only handle veterans who received an honorable discharge.
read more here
The Associated Press
Published: September 2, 2013
PHILADELPHIA -- Former National Guardsman Paul Piscitelli is in Philadelphia Municipal Court to answer to drug and theft charges. Elijah Peters, who served in the Army in Afghanistan and Iraq, was arrested twice for assault.
Like all the defendants appearing before Judge Patrick Dugan on a recent Wednesday, Piscitelli and Peters are veterans who chose to have their cases handled in a special court established for those once in the military.
More than justice is meted out.
Before the judge takes the bench, a volunteer approaches the veterans one by one offering help with such things as resume-writing and job hunting. A second volunteer steers them to long-distance runs and fitness classes. A representative from a community college discusses the advantages of higher education.
There's also a worker from the local Veterans Affairs medical center who's checking to make sure defendants are getting doctor appointments, disability benefits, housing vouchers or any other benefit to which they're entitled.
"This is the touchy, feely, kissy, huggy court," explained Janet DiTomasso, who helps administer the Philadelphia court.
The veterans court operates under the philosophy that many of the defendants who have run into trouble with the law need treatment, not incarceration. Some courts only take misdemeanor cases. Some only handle veterans who received an honorable discharge.
read more here
Ft. Hood victims and survivors deserve answers
Ft. Hood victims and survivors deserve answers
Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
September 2, 2013
Lawmakers are pushing for Fort Hood families to have justice but no one seems to be asking what should be included in all of what they deserve. This is good for a start but far from fulfilling what they are owed.
Widow of N. St. Paul native killed at Fort Hood speaks out
KARE 11 News
Boua Xiong
September 2, 2013
NORTH ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Kham Xiong had a way with people. In eighth grade he charmed himself right into Shoua Her's heart.
"He always knows what to do to make me happy and he was very caring and loving," Her said.
The two married right after high school in 2004 and dreamed of having kids, a big house, and a military career. Four years ago Xiong moved Her and their three kids from North St. Paul to Fort Hood, Texas to pursue his dream.
Xiong was getting ready for his first deployment when Her got word about a shooting on base. "I immediately texted Kham and he didn't reply back and I called and he didn't pick up so I started to get worried," she said.
read more here
Now let's look back at the beginning and how the press has reported this. First we begin with the reports from CNN on the Fort Hood massacre.
On November 5, 2009 at 6:14 pm CNN reported these highlights.
November 5, 2009 9:24 p.m. EST
PBS did a report that caught my attention since I had been on Fort Hood for a visit a few months before this happened. Several soldiers and family members were complaining about the lack of proper mental health treatment. It was bad before this day however considering Hasan was in fact part of the "treatment" they were getting, even with the attitude he had, no one was asking how many he treated got worse afterwards because of what he said to them or if gave proper medications.
Major Hasan was trained by the military to address combat trauma for our troops. Keep that in mind. If he kept getting bad reviews for how he treated soldiers, what was he telling them? Did he even know anything about PTSD considering he was trained around the same time they were still kicking out soldiers for "personality disorders" instead of PTSD? Did he end up involved with any of the soldiers who ended up committing suicide or trying to end their own lives?
If you think it isn't possible for him to play some kind of twisted mind game then you need to know what he was saying in 2007.
Sgt. Justin "Jon" Garza was one of them.
This is how they were reporting about Hasan taking guesses instead of knowing any basic facts as it turned out.
That day I posted this.
"Francheska Velez, 21, from Chicago, was filling out paperwork when Major Nidal Malik Hasan opened fire on the Texas base. She had only just returned from a tour in Iraq three days before, coming back early because she was pregnant, her father Juan Velez told Fox News Chicago. She was expecting a baby boy in May, he said." She was heard screaming for her unborn baby.
"Staff Sgt. Amy Krueger decided she was willing to put her life at risk for her country the instant a second airplane crashed into the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. "We looked at each other and knew, and the next day we were in the recruiter's office," recalled Kristin Thayer, who watched the attack with Krueger in a commons area at a college in Sheboygan. "Anything it took, anything our country needed of us, even if that meant giving our lives."
Among the dead were two VA employees. "Russell G. Seager, Ph.D., a 51-year old nurse practitioner at the Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center in Milwaukee was killed in the deadly attack. He was a captain in the reserves." Juanita L. Warman, 55, a nurse practitioner at VA's medical center in Perry Point, Md. She was a lieutenant colonel in the Maryland National Guard, with two daughters and six grandchildren. She wanted to help female soldiers
There was a lot of guessing going on back then. Two psychiatrist were questioning Hasan's involvement with soldiers.
This has to be the only time Jonathan Shay has been wrong but it was based on what the media was reporting at the time. What else could he think considering no one ever thought someone feared to be psychotic would ever be able to "treat" soldiers or even more absurd, hate them and still be in that position.
Or that this was possible.
Then there was Staff Sgt. Josh Berry, wounded when the shooter opened fire inside a crowded medical building at the sprawling Army post in Texas.
How many more committed suicide because of this? How many were discharged because of what Hasan did? How many lives were changed forever because of how much the military itself failed them? So many questions still needing answers and too few trying to find what real justice should be.
Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
September 2, 2013
Lawmakers are pushing for Fort Hood families to have justice but no one seems to be asking what should be included in all of what they deserve. This is good for a start but far from fulfilling what they are owed.
Lawmakers to file bill to give benefits for Ft. Hood victims
KVUE News
by JESSICA VESS
September 2, 2013
KILLEEN, TX -- A group of lawmakers is filing new Legislation this week to get benefits for the victims of the Fort Hood shooting.
Senator John Cornyn and Congressmen John Carter and Roger Williams are presenting a bill called the "Honoring the Fort Hood Heroes Act." It would give both military and civilian victims the same status that was given to the victims of the September 11th attacks.
The fight for those rights has been building over the past year.
160 victims and their families released a 14-minute video last year asking for help.
To get more benefits, the Government must agree to change the status of the shooting. It's currently labeled as workplace violence, not an act of terror.
read more here
Widow of N. St. Paul native killed at Fort Hood speaks out
KARE 11 News
Boua Xiong
September 2, 2013
NORTH ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Kham Xiong had a way with people. In eighth grade he charmed himself right into Shoua Her's heart.
"He always knows what to do to make me happy and he was very caring and loving," Her said.
The two married right after high school in 2004 and dreamed of having kids, a big house, and a military career. Four years ago Xiong moved Her and their three kids from North St. Paul to Fort Hood, Texas to pursue his dream.
Xiong was getting ready for his first deployment when Her got word about a shooting on base. "I immediately texted Kham and he didn't reply back and I called and he didn't pick up so I started to get worried," she said.
read more here
Now let's look back at the beginning and how the press has reported this. First we begin with the reports from CNN on the Fort Hood massacre.
On November 5, 2009 at 6:14 pm CNN reported these highlights.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
NEW: Source: Slain gunman identified as Maj. Malik Nadal Hasan (wrong)
NEW: One of the dead was a civilian police officer, official says
NEW: Senator says she was told soldiersere filling out paperwork to go overseas
More than one shooter may have been involved, Fort Hood spokesman says
(CNN) -- Eleven people plus a gunman were dead and 31 wounded after the gunman opened fire Thursday on a soldier-processing center at Fort Hood, Texas, officials said.
November 5, 2009 9:24 p.m. EST
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
NEW: Suepect in shootings wounded but alive, Army official says
Source: Gunman identified as Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, a psychiatrist
Senator: Hasan was "upset" about scheduled deployment to Iraq (wrong)
Shooting happened in building that is one of last stops before soldiers deploy
(CNN) -- At least one soldier opened fire on a military processing center at Fort Hood in Texas on Thursday, killing 12 and wounding 31 others, officials at the Army base said.
PBS did a report that caught my attention since I had been on Fort Hood for a visit a few months before this happened. Several soldiers and family members were complaining about the lack of proper mental health treatment. It was bad before this day however considering Hasan was in fact part of the "treatment" they were getting, even with the attitude he had, no one was asking how many he treated got worse afterwards because of what he said to them or if gave proper medications.
Major Hasan was trained by the military to address combat trauma for our troops. Keep that in mind. If he kept getting bad reviews for how he treated soldiers, what was he telling them? Did he even know anything about PTSD considering he was trained around the same time they were still kicking out soldiers for "personality disorders" instead of PTSD? Did he end up involved with any of the soldiers who ended up committing suicide or trying to end their own lives?
If you think it isn't possible for him to play some kind of twisted mind game then you need to know what he was saying in 2007.
"It's getting harder and harder for Muslims in the service to morally justify being in a military that seems constantly engaged against fellow Muslims," he said during the PowerPoint presentation before his supervisors and other mental health staff members, according to the paper."US military doctors had worried that the suspected gunman in the Fort Hood shootings was "psychotic" and unstable but did not seek to sack him, National Public Radio reported on Wednesday, citing unnamed officials." But somehow none of this got tied into the fact that Ft. Hood had 10 soldier suicides in 2009 before this and "the second-highest of any Army post."
Sgt. Justin "Jon" Garza was one of them.
"While he was AWOL, Garza threatened to kill himself with a shotgun. Military personnel took him to Ft. Hood's Darnall Army Medical Center. Psychiatrists there diagnosed him with an adjustment disorder and depression and sent him home with his best friend, a fellow soldier. He was put on a Monday-through-Friday suicide watch. Eleven days later, on July 11 -- a Saturday -- Garza was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot to the head."
This is how they were reporting about Hasan taking guesses instead of knowing any basic facts as it turned out.
An Army psychiatrist is suspected in the shootings at Fort Hood, Texas, and the rampage is raising questions about whether there's enough help for the helpers, even though it's unclear whether that stress or fear of his pending service in Afghanistan might be to blame. An uncle of Army Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan said Saturday that Hasan was deeply affected by his work treating soldiers returning from war zones. "I think I saw him with tears in his eyes when he was talking about some of patients, when they came overseas from the battlefield," Rafik Hamad told The Associated Press from his home near the West Bank town of Ramallah.
Fort Hood Shooting: A Closer Look at Soldiers and PTSD
Fort Hood, the site of Thursday's horrific attack on U.S. soldiers, was the focus of a NOW on PBS report about American troops suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
Many of the thousands of U.S. troops discharged from the Army each year suffer from PTSD and say they lack the vital care they need. The Army claimed these soldiers were let go due to pre-existing mental illnesses or because they were guilty of misconduct. But advocates argue this was a way for the Army to get rid of "problem" soldiers quickly, without giving them the treatment and benefits to which they're entitled.
In our online coverage, NOW interviewed two Fort Hood soldiers about the personal trauma they experienced while fighting in Iraq.
That day I posted this.
Aftermath of Fort Hood shootings may be worse
As the news reports kept coming out today about the carnage at Fort Hood, my greatest fears were not for today, but for the next few months ahead. No one is talking about "secondary stressors" and this needs to be addressed quickly.
There are crisis teams heading there according to the press briefing by Lt. Gen. Robert Cone. This is one of the best things they can do. I spent months taking this kind of training and it is very thorough. The issue that we need to be concerned about is when there are thousands of soldiers, combat soldiers with multiple tours, many of them are dealing with mild PTSD. Mild PTSD is not that hard to cope with. They live pretty normal lives while covering up the pain they have inside. Many even cope well the rest of their lives but many do not. Like a ticking time bomb, PTSD rests waiting to strike if untreated. It waits for the next traumatic event and then mild PTSD turns into PTSD on steroids.
These are the soldiers that will need the greatest help as soon as possible.
These bases are very well secured. That makes the soldiers and their families feel safe. Think about going into combat and then making it home alive where you are supposed to be safe. Then having this happen.
"Francheska Velez, 21, from Chicago, was filling out paperwork when Major Nidal Malik Hasan opened fire on the Texas base. She had only just returned from a tour in Iraq three days before, coming back early because she was pregnant, her father Juan Velez told Fox News Chicago. She was expecting a baby boy in May, he said." She was heard screaming for her unborn baby.
"Staff Sgt. Amy Krueger decided she was willing to put her life at risk for her country the instant a second airplane crashed into the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. "We looked at each other and knew, and the next day we were in the recruiter's office," recalled Kristin Thayer, who watched the attack with Krueger in a commons area at a college in Sheboygan. "Anything it took, anything our country needed of us, even if that meant giving our lives."
Among the dead were two VA employees. "Russell G. Seager, Ph.D., a 51-year old nurse practitioner at the Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center in Milwaukee was killed in the deadly attack. He was a captain in the reserves." Juanita L. Warman, 55, a nurse practitioner at VA's medical center in Perry Point, Md. She was a lieutenant colonel in the Maryland National Guard, with two daughters and six grandchildren. She wanted to help female soldiers
There was a lot of guessing going on back then. Two psychiatrist were questioning Hasan's involvement with soldiers.
"First, I'd get a list of all the patients he'd ever treated and get in contact with them," said Dr. Thomas P. Lowry, a psychiatrist who served two years as a doctor in the Air Force and then held the top psychiatry positions at four hospitals before retiring in 1999. It's important to know how the doctor's former patients perceived him and understand the care they received, he said.
Dr. Jonathan Shay, who spent 20 years as a Veterans Affairs Department psychiatrist specializing in the treatment of combat trauma before retiring last year, said some of Hasan's former patients might worry that the stories they shared in therapy sessions could have contributed to the doctor's state of mind, or even feel some responsibility for the killings.
This has to be the only time Jonathan Shay has been wrong but it was based on what the media was reporting at the time. What else could he think considering no one ever thought someone feared to be psychotic would ever be able to "treat" soldiers or even more absurd, hate them and still be in that position.
Or that this was possible.
In late December 2004, one of the officers overseeing Army Maj. Nidal Hasan’s medical training praised him in an official evaluation as a qualified and caring doctor who would be an asset in any post.After all this is the type of things they do when they do really care.
But less than a week later, a committee at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center that oversees student performance met behind closed doors to discuss serious concerns about Hasan’s questionable behavior, poor judgment and lack of drive.
Disconnects such this were a familiar pattern throughout Hasan’s lengthy medical education in the Washington area, according to information gathered during an internal Pentagon review of the shooting rampage at Fort Hood, Texas, and obtained by The Associated Press.
The review has not been publicly released, but the emerging picture is one of supervisors who failed to heed their own warnings about an officer ill-suited to be an Army psychiatrist, according to the information.
Capt. John Gaffaney, 56, a psychiatric nurse. But according to varying eyewitness accounts, Gaffaney either picked up a chair and threw it at Army psychiatrist Maj. Nidal Hasan, the accused killer, or physically rushed him from across the room.But less than a year later Fort Hood was reporting "Four soldiers from Fort Hood, Texas died over the week. In all four cases, it appears the soldiers, all decorated veterans from the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan, took their own lives, according to Christopher Haug, a Fort Hood spokesman."
Army Maj. Gen. Lie-Ping Chang, commander of the reserve force to which Gaffaney belonged, said that two eyewitnesses recounted how the reservist threw a folding chair and "tried to knock (Hasan) down or knock his gun down." Chang included this account in an essay submitted to USA Today.
Army Reserve Col. Kathy Platoni, a clinical psychologist who served with Gaffaney, said she was told that he rushed Hasan to within inches before being shot several times.
Platoni said she comforted Gaffaney as he lay dying in a building nearby where soldiers brought him after he was mortally wounded, ripping off pieces of their uniform to use as pressure bandages or tourniquets to stem his massive bleeding from multiple wounds.
“I just started talking to him and holding his hand and saying, ‘John, you're going to be OK. You're going to be OK. You've just got to fight,’” Platoni recalls.
He died shortly after that, she says. "I was still yelling, 'John, don't go. John, don't go.’”
Then there was Staff Sgt. Josh Berry, wounded when the shooter opened fire inside a crowded medical building at the sprawling Army post in Texas.
While he was not one of the 13 soldiers who lost their lives or the 32 others who were struck by bullets, Josh Berry struggled through years of pain and suffering caused by the attack before he couldn't handle it anymore, family members said. The Mason native committed suicide on Feb. 13, 2013.
How many more committed suicide because of this? How many were discharged because of what Hasan did? How many lives were changed forever because of how much the military itself failed them? So many questions still needing answers and too few trying to find what real justice should be.
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