Vietnam Veteran putting skills to use in Afghanistan at 71

Vietnam Vet, 71, Working As Contractor In Afghanistan
Here and Now
December 4, 2013

Jeff Traylor (center), a 71-year-old contractor in Afghanistan, is flanked by two servicemen. (Jeff Traylor)

You’ve not doubt heard the stories about people working past retirement age. Jeff Traylor has taken that to a new level.

He’s 71 years old, a Vietnam veteran, and he’s working with the Air Force as a contractor in Afghanistan. He’s doing it because he needed the job.

“Regardless of what they may say about age discrimination, it still exists,” Traylor tells Here and Now’s Jeremy Hobson. “I can tell it from the way that my applications were received. That’s one issue. And then I have a lot of experience and I bring a lot to the table for a company, but most of them are not willing to pay for those services and education that I’ve gained in my many, many years in the industry.”
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Orlando veterans time to get out your pink bras

This is from last year
Dec 22, 2012

Semper Fidelis had their second fundraiser for breast cancer and men dressed up in their best pink bras to put on "support" for the effort. Great night and lots of laughs. Even Santa strapped one on.

Sandy Hook massacre leaves Cop with PTSD and job threat

Is this yet one more case of superior stupidity regarding PTSD? Seems like it. Why else would a superior threaten a cop with being fired?

Officer afflicted with PTSD at Sandy Hook deserves to be treated with compassion
Danbury News Times
December 3, 2013

The mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown on Dec. 14, 2012, took the lives of 20 first-graders and six educators and forever changed the lives of family members, first responders, educators, students and other community residents.

One of those first responders, Newtown Police Officer Thomas Bean, was so greatly affected by what he experienced at the horrific scene in Sandy Hook that day that he has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and has been unable to return to work.

Bean, a 12-year veteran of the force, has been declared 100 percent disabled and is now collecting half of his salary under a long-term disability policy negotiated between the Newtown police union and the town.

Unfortunately, Newtown Police Chief Michael Kehoe earlier this year informed Bean that he would not be able to continue to receive the disability payment for much longer, even though he was disabled in the line of duty.

Instead, Kehoe told Bean, he had three choices: resign, retire at a significantly reduced benefit from what he would receive after the normal 25-year retirement mark, or get fired. Kehoe has since recommended to the Newtown Police Commission that Bean be terminated.
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Former soldier suffering from PTSD says he got no support behind bars

Former soldier suffering from PTSD says he got no support behind bars
NATIONAL BREAKING NEWS
The Canadian Press - ONLINE EDITION
By: The Canadian Press
Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2013

LETHBRIDGE, Alta. - A British war veteran recently held in the same Alberta jail where a Canadian soldier killed himself says the justice system doesn't properly deal with people who have post-traumatic stress disorder.

John Collins, diagnosed with PTSD about six years ago, was arrested last month at his home in Lethbridge on various charges, including assault.

He said he sat alone in a cell for six days until he was released on bail.

"I mentally shut down," said Collins, 61. "I prayed to die."

"You are on automatic, back in the wars. Once the adrenalin is gone, there is no hope."

Collins believes no one took into account his mental health. He said he should have received support and instead he felt abandoned.

Then, last week, he learned about the suicide of the artillery soldier at the same Lethbridge Correctional Centre.

The man, identified by friends as Travis Halmrast, was being held on charges of domestic assault. He was found in distress at the jail and later died in hospital.

The Defence Department is looking into the death and investigations are also underway into the recent suicides of two other Canadian soldiers. All three men had served in Afghanistan.

It's not clear if any of them suffered from PTSD, but their suicides have put a spotlight on supports available for people dealing with the effects of the disorder.

Collins didn't know Halmrast and doesn't know the circumstances of his death, but has strong feelings about the case.

"He shouldn't have been there," he said. "From the moment they found out he was ex-military, alarm bells should have been ringing."
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Forth suicide in Canadian Military within a week

Another Canadian soldier dies of apparent suicide
CTV News Canada
December 3, 2013

Another Canadian soldier has died of an apparent suicide, after three veterans were found dead last week.

Master Cpl. Sylvain Lelievre, 46, was a member of the Royal 22e Regiment at CFB Valcartier in Quebec. Friends say he was a decorated soldier who served in Bosnia and Afghanistan. His body was discovered Monday near the base.

One friend said Lelievre was “an outstanding soldier, always proud to serve his country.”

Alain Brunet, who served with Lelievre in Germany more than two decades ago, told CTV News his friend was known for his “contagious” smile.

“The guy just wanted to please everybody. Will do anything for any friends or anything that needs help,” he said. Brunet’s wife, Tracy, said she wanted Lelievre to be remembered as “somebody that had a huge heart, a heart of gold."

She said he was loved by everyone who knew him.
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Also on this

Soldier attempts suicide after being told PTSD will end military career
The Canadian Press and Murray Brewster
Dec 3, 2013

OTTAWA – The moment the Canadian military told him he was being discharged because of his post-traumatic stress disorder, Master Cpl. Kristian Wolowidnyk felt his life was over.

Two days later, on Nov. 21, Wolowidnyk — a former combat engineer who survived the desolation of Kandahar in 2009 and 2010 — tried to take his own life, but survived.

Veterans advocates say a number of suicides within the military in recent days may only hint at the magnitude of the problem. For every death by suicide, they warn, as many as 12 others may have sought the same fate.

Defence officials confirmed Tuesday that military police are investigating the death of a member of the Royal 22e Regiment at CFB Valcartier in Quebec as the fourth apparent Canadian Forces suicide in a week.

In an interview with The Canadian Press, Wolowidnyk — a husband and father to a two-year-old child — said he was desperate to stay in the military and re-qualify for another military trade.

Not only was he denied, but he was told that his psychological injuries, including anxiety and serious depression, did not qualify him to remain in the military as part of a prolonged release process for injured soldiers.

He spent a week in the mental health wing of the civilian Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton before being released to his family — and to confront the reality of his military career coming to an abrupt end sometime within the next year.
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'Lone Survivor's' Mark Walhberg

'Lone Survivor's' Mark Walhberg: I'm 'guilty' of exaggerating how tough acting is
NBC
Randee Dawn TODAY contributor
9 hours ago
Mark Wahlberg plays gun-toting heroes all the time, but in "Lone Survivor," he's portraying a real-life Navy SEAL in the midst of a disastrous mission in Afghanistan — a role that was a real eye-opener for the actor.

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What is the Department of Defense Hiding on suicides?

What is the Department of Defense Hiding on suicides?
Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
December 3, 2013

There seems to be some kind of a mystery going on but the press hasn't noticed. Is it the lack of willingness to do basic research? Pay attention? Pretend they really care? Or this all more about what the veterans think and they are disposable?

The Department of Defense has not released the Suicide Event Report for 2012, so for now the numbers from 2011 will work to explain what has been going on.

"The AFMES indicates that Attempted Suicides 2011 A total of 915 Service Members attempted suicide in 2011 (Air Force = 241, Army = 432, Marine Corps = 156, Navy = 86). DoDSERs were submitted for 935 suicide attempts (Air Force = 251, Army = 440, Marine Corps = 157, Navy = 87).

Of the 915 Service Members who attempted suicide, 896 had one attempt, 18 had two attempts, and 1 had three attempts."

Keep that in mind when you consider the latest claims by the DOD that suicides have been reduced by 22%.

"With two months to go in this calendar year, defense officials say there have been 245 suicides by active-duty service members as of Oct. 27. At the same time last year there had already been 316. Each of the military services has seen the total go down this year, ranging from an 11 percent dip in the Marine Corps to a 28 percent drop for the Navy. The Air Force had a 21 percent decline, while Army totals fell by 24 percent.

The officials provided the data to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to disclose it publicly.

Last year the number of suicides in the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines spiked to 349 for the full 12-month period, the highest since the Pentagon began closely tracking the numbers in 2001, and up from the 2011 total of 301. There were 295 Americans killed in Afghanistan last year, by the AP's count."

The AP forgot about the National Guards and Reservists. "CY 2012: 140 (93 Army National Guard and 47 Army Reserve)" according to the DOD. These suicides were not counted in the press reports however the DOD does count them when they release numbers every month. They also increased the number of Army suicides to 186 for 2012. So far without the Suicide Event Report for 2012, there have been no official releases with the breakdown among the different branches or the number of attempted suicides.

As of right now, there is no way for us to know how many attempted suicide this year or last year.

The DOD wants to be able to claim that most of the loss to suicide were not tied to deployments.

Now we can get to the part where this goes from really sad to the questions that should have been asked.

Where is the report on suicides that happened a year ago? This is the last month of 2013. Why haven't they released it?

Why doesn't the DOD release the other branches on a monthly bases the same way they release the Army, Army National Guards and Army Reserves?

If deployments really have nothing to do with suicides, then what is wrong with their mental health evaluations? What is wrong with their suicide prevention and "resilience" training if it didn't even work on the non-deloyed?

If facts have shown this "resilience" training doesn't work then why did they keep pushing it?

Who made money on this?

Why wasn't anyone held accountable?

Why hasn't anyone researched how many of the discharged under "personality" disorders committed suicide?

Why hasn't anyone researched how many veterans discharged from the military in the last 12 years committed suicide?

Maybe when some of these questions start getting answered then the veterans will know they are not expendable and they do in fact matter.

How the Government Is Handling 700,000 Jailed Veterans

How the Government Is Handling 700,000 Jailed Veterans
Nextgov
Bob Brewin
December 3, 2013

The 700,000 veterans consigned to the dustbins of society -- prisons and jails -- won some top level attention this week at the first national Vet Court Conference in Washington, which brings together 1,000 judges, mental health and substance abuse professionals and the leadership of the Veterans Affairs and Defense Departments.

The conference, sponsored by the Justice for Vets division of the National Association of Drug Court Professionals, focuses on veterans involved in the criminal justice system as a result of substance abuse and mental health problems. There are some grim statistics behind this issue: One in six returning veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan suffers from a substance abuse disorder; since 2004, the number of veterans treated for mental illness and substance abuse has increased 38 percent, and 81 percent of arrested veterans had a substance abuse problem.

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Homeless vets weather the holidays

'Always a Marine': Homeless vets weather the holidays as national numbers dip
NBC News
By Bill Briggs, contributor
December 3, 2013

LOS ANGELES – The Navy veteran keeps his few possessions in shipshape order. Hidden on a girder ledge, five cans of chicken-enchilada soup flank an alarm clock, a stack of hardcover mysteries and a plastic jug of water - half empty - scrawled with black marker to clearly designate ownership: "Bill's."

A few feet from the underbelly of the storm-drain bridge where Bill has lived since June, his perch holds whispers of daily survival and yesterdays lost. Above his bunk – a thin mattress long enough for a child – the cement wall is adorned with a 2013 calendar, a crucifix and three American flags.

On paper, Bill is one of 6,291 homeless veterans in Los Angeles – the highest number in any metro area – almost double the count in New York City (3,547), nearly five times the population in San Diego (1,486). Nationally, according to a fresh census released Nov. 21, Bill is one of 57,849 homeless veterans – a tally the Obama Administration has pledged to drive to zero by the end of 2015. Since 2010, a federal initiative has reduced that number by 24 percent, according to VA officials.

For now, the streets remain home for the holidays for tens of thousands of former military personnel.
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Survivor Guilt "For some reason, I’m alive and he’s not"

'For some reason, I’m alive and he’s not'
PRESENT-TRAUMATIC STRESS
Stars and Stripes
Martin Kuz
December 1, 2013

ESPANDI, Afghanistan — The Polish sergeant took one step off the dirt path that the U.S. soldiers ahead of him had scanned for buried bombs. Those few inches marked the line between Jan Kiepura’s life and death. His foot triggered an improvised explosive device that forever separated him from his wife and two sons.

First Lt. Joshua Fosher was 15 feet in front of him; Capt. Dusty Turner was about as far behind. The distance saved the two Americans from his fate. Yet they were casualties in a less obvious sense. The blast inflicted hidden wounds, physical and psychological, that lingered long after Kiepura returned to Poland in a metal box.

Fosher and Turner suffered brain injuries that were slow to heal, injuries that magnified the mental trauma of their close exposure to death. Their ordeal resembles that of thousands of U.S. troops affected by brain injuries during the war in Afghanistan, now 12 years old, and the eight-year war in Iraq that ended in 2011.

In the weeks after the blast, as the two soldiers continued to endure the rigors of a nine-month deployment, they searched for order amid war’s uncertainty.

“He was there, then he wasn’t,” said Fosher, 26, of Exeter, N.H., referring to Kiepura. “When you realize how fast that can happen, it makes you aware in a very real way how everything can end.”

It is an awareness that, for each man, remains bereft of answers.

“For some reason, I’m alive and he’s not,” said Turner, 28, of Center Point, Texas. “For some reason, God allowed me to be here. I have no idea why.”
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