Deceased veteran, John L. Matyi, headed to Arlington after 15 months of uncertainty (update)
Staten Island Advance
By Timothy Harrison
March 31, 2014
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Staten Island must be the most compassionate place on earth.
After the Advance revealed last week that the ashes of a deceased veteran remained in a Florida funeral home for more than a year, the veteran's surviving brother received a slew of messages from Islanders who wanted to help any way they could.
Now, with John L. Matyi's cremation service paid for, Alex Matyi speaks with a whole new sense of hope - you can hear the transformation in his voice.
Alex knows his brother will be buried at Arlington soon, John's sole wish since he returned wounded from active duty.
A childhood friend of the Matyi brothers, who insisted on remaining anonymous after paying the $1,200 fee in full, called Alex Friday.
read more here
Florida funeral bill prevents Vietnam Veteran being laid to rest
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
Police make visits with message for PTSD veterans
Police To Repeat Offenders: Let Us Help
CBS
Joel Thomas
March 31, 2014
BEDFORD (CBSDFW.COM) - He’s a former soldier who suffers the effects of PTSD and recent marriage problems. To protect his identity we’ll just call him Chuck.
“Losing my family like that, no one can ever really explain what you’re going through,” Chuck said.
Police know Chuck. They’ve visited on disturbance calls. He’s what police refer to as a repeat victim, people who often have disorders who police see more than once a year.
Bedford found that 9% of the people they dealt with were responsible for 20% of all their cases.
“Especially on the domestic violence side, repeated offenses against the same person,” said Bedford Police Chief Roger Gibson. “And on the mental health side, the same person being hospitalized over and over.”
Thursday, Chuck received a welcome visit from two specially trained officers and a counselor. They’re three of the four members of the Repeat Victimization Unit. They’re here to listen.
read more here
CBS
Joel Thomas
March 31, 2014
BEDFORD (CBSDFW.COM) - He’s a former soldier who suffers the effects of PTSD and recent marriage problems. To protect his identity we’ll just call him Chuck.
“Losing my family like that, no one can ever really explain what you’re going through,” Chuck said.
Police know Chuck. They’ve visited on disturbance calls. He’s what police refer to as a repeat victim, people who often have disorders who police see more than once a year.
Bedford found that 9% of the people they dealt with were responsible for 20% of all their cases.
“Especially on the domestic violence side, repeated offenses against the same person,” said Bedford Police Chief Roger Gibson. “And on the mental health side, the same person being hospitalized over and over.”
Thursday, Chuck received a welcome visit from two specially trained officers and a counselor. They’re three of the four members of the Repeat Victimization Unit. They’re here to listen.
read more here
Three Marines stabbed breaking up fight
Camp Pendleton Marines Stabbed in Baseball Brawl
The Marines were stabbed in the face and neck by broken beer bottles, police said
NBC News
By Steven Luke, R. Stickney and Andrew Lopez
Tuesday, Apr 1, 2014
Three Camp Pendleton Marines were stabbed Sunday when they tried to break up a fight between baseball fans in Huntington Beach, officials told NBC 7.
NBC 7 has obtained cell phone video of what officials refer to as an alcohol-fueled fight around 1:45 a.m. in the area of Main and Walnut streets, according to Huntington Beach Police Department.
When officers arrived and attempted to break up the large fight, Manuel Alvarez, 23, allegedly used a broken bottle to stab one of the Marines in the face.
Alvarez was taken into custody and faces an assault with a deadly weapon charge.
Another Marine was found nearby suffering from stab wounds. Both servicemen were taken to a hospital in stable condition.
A possible third victim was treated and released at a San Diego hospital.
read more here
The Marines were stabbed in the face and neck by broken beer bottles, police said
NBC News
By Steven Luke, R. Stickney and Andrew Lopez
Tuesday, Apr 1, 2014
Three Camp Pendleton Marines were stabbed Sunday when they tried to break up a fight between baseball fans in Huntington Beach, officials told NBC 7.
NBC 7 has obtained cell phone video of what officials refer to as an alcohol-fueled fight around 1:45 a.m. in the area of Main and Walnut streets, according to Huntington Beach Police Department.
When officers arrived and attempted to break up the large fight, Manuel Alvarez, 23, allegedly used a broken bottle to stab one of the Marines in the face.
Alvarez was taken into custody and faces an assault with a deadly weapon charge.
Another Marine was found nearby suffering from stab wounds. Both servicemen were taken to a hospital in stable condition.
A possible third victim was treated and released at a San Diego hospital.
read more here
‘We Have PTSD’: Wife of Veteran Shares Experiences
‘We Have PTSD’: Wife of Veteran Shares Experiences
By ABC News
Mar 31, 2014
This post by Blair Hughes originally appeared on www.warriorsandwives.com
I am the wife of a Iraq veteran with PTSD. For some, like my husband Jonah, the anxiety is so overwhelming and debilitating that we are considered “housebound.”
Oh, you noticed I said “we?”
Yes, that’s because I have PTSD, too.
I have a condition known as Secondary PTSD.
After three deployments and 10 IED blasts, my husband has several other injuries and I am his full-time caregiver. As a caregiver, I with him pretty much 24/7. I have adopted a constant sort of vigilance in order to predict and pre-empt my husband’s PTSD behaviors. Knowing the symptoms and his reaction to “trigger situations” inside and out is key to our survival, so much so that many of these symptoms become my reality, as well. Anxiety, extreme discomfort in crowds, hyper-vigilance and isolation just to name a few.
We try. We really do try to go outside our comfort zone. But when we do we often have a massive, far longer than normal, recovery period. A simple trip out to eat at an uncrowded restaurant, during a super slow time often results in the need for an afternoon in bed. If we do happen to venture out on a good day, during “normal” shopping hours, it’s very likely we end up two steps back from where we were.
Often, we have to use grocery delivery services. We pay for Amazon Prime (thank God for their Two-Day shipping!) because during a bad spell — when you just cannot leave the house for days at a time — sometimes you still need toilet paper.
read more here
By ABC News
Mar 31, 2014
This post by Blair Hughes originally appeared on www.warriorsandwives.com
I am the wife of a Iraq veteran with PTSD. For some, like my husband Jonah, the anxiety is so overwhelming and debilitating that we are considered “housebound.”
Oh, you noticed I said “we?”
Yes, that’s because I have PTSD, too.
I have a condition known as Secondary PTSD.
After three deployments and 10 IED blasts, my husband has several other injuries and I am his full-time caregiver. As a caregiver, I with him pretty much 24/7. I have adopted a constant sort of vigilance in order to predict and pre-empt my husband’s PTSD behaviors. Knowing the symptoms and his reaction to “trigger situations” inside and out is key to our survival, so much so that many of these symptoms become my reality, as well. Anxiety, extreme discomfort in crowds, hyper-vigilance and isolation just to name a few.
We try. We really do try to go outside our comfort zone. But when we do we often have a massive, far longer than normal, recovery period. A simple trip out to eat at an uncrowded restaurant, during a super slow time often results in the need for an afternoon in bed. If we do happen to venture out on a good day, during “normal” shopping hours, it’s very likely we end up two steps back from where we were.
Often, we have to use grocery delivery services. We pay for Amazon Prime (thank God for their Two-Day shipping!) because during a bad spell — when you just cannot leave the house for days at a time — sometimes you still need toilet paper.
read more here
At least 13 out of 18 Utah soldier death were suicides in 2013
National study shows military suicide rates climbing; Utah no exception
Deseret News
By Madeleine Brown
Published: Sunday, March 30 2014
SALT LAKE CITY — A large study of nearly 1 million soldiers shows the Army suicide rate surpassed the civilian suicide rate in 2008 and continues to rise.
And Utah is no stranger to military suicide.
Of the 18 Utah soldiers who died in 2013 and were recognized by the state Legislature earlier this year, at least 13 are confirmed suicides, according to Rep. Ryan Wilcox, R-Ogden.
"Would I say that (suicide) attempts have gone up? Absolutely," said Dr. Scott Hill, chief of mental health for the VA Salt Lake City Health Care System.
Better tracking could contribute to the rising numbers, Hill said, but the rates are climbing regardless. Ten veterans have committed suicide since Oct. 1, 2013, in Utah, southeastern Idaho and eastern Nevada, he said. The hotline for veterans in crisis received 283 calls from the same area during the same time frame.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs estimates 22 veterans commit suicide each day. That number is one per day for active-duty soldiers, according to the nonprofit Stop Soldier Suicide.
read more here
Deseret News
By Madeleine Brown
Published: Sunday, March 30 2014
SALT LAKE CITY — A large study of nearly 1 million soldiers shows the Army suicide rate surpassed the civilian suicide rate in 2008 and continues to rise.
And Utah is no stranger to military suicide.
Of the 18 Utah soldiers who died in 2013 and were recognized by the state Legislature earlier this year, at least 13 are confirmed suicides, according to Rep. Ryan Wilcox, R-Ogden.
"Would I say that (suicide) attempts have gone up? Absolutely," said Dr. Scott Hill, chief of mental health for the VA Salt Lake City Health Care System.
Better tracking could contribute to the rising numbers, Hill said, but the rates are climbing regardless. Ten veterans have committed suicide since Oct. 1, 2013, in Utah, southeastern Idaho and eastern Nevada, he said. The hotline for veterans in crisis received 283 calls from the same area during the same time frame.
The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs estimates 22 veterans commit suicide each day. That number is one per day for active-duty soldiers, according to the nonprofit Stop Soldier Suicide.
read more here
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