Mental Repercussions Of Leaving Life In Combat
Huffington Post
As part of a four-part series on the lives of U.S. veterans, HuffPost Live explores how combat can affect veterans' mental health. Veterans explain how post-traumatic stress and depression hit them when they returned home, and how they overcame it.
Originally aired on May 28, 2014
If you doubt this,,,,,it is exactly what Comprehensive Soldier Fitness taught them
'Jarhead' Author: PTSD Is Like 'Essentially Admitting To A Mental Weakness'
Huffington Post
Anthony Swofford joins HuffPost Live to explain why being diagnosed with PTSD is like "admitting to a mental weakness" in the eyes of some veterans.
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
Two tour Iraq Veteran with PTSD killed by SWAT after VA sent him away
UPDATE
VA will pay for cremation of veteran shot in standoff
KSHB 41 News
Andres Gutierrez
May 29, 2014
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The family of Issac Sims, an Iraq War veteran shot and killed over Memorial Day Weekend, says the Kansas City Veteran Affairs Hospital will cover the cost to pay cremate and honor veteran.
Issac’s father Adrian Sims witnessed carnage during the Vietnam War, but wasn't ready to see his own son lifeless.
read more of this here
VA will pay for cremation of veteran shot in standoff
KSHB 41 News
Andres Gutierrez
May 29, 2014
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The family of Issac Sims, an Iraq War veteran shot and killed over Memorial Day Weekend, says the Kansas City Veteran Affairs Hospital will cover the cost to pay cremate and honor veteran.
Issac’s father Adrian Sims witnessed carnage during the Vietnam War, but wasn't ready to see his own son lifeless.
read more of this here
Local veteran with PTSD killed in police standoff
KSHB.com
Andres Gutierrez
May 27, 2014
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A local veteran suffering from PTSD is killed in a police standoff and his parents said he sought help from the VA just two days before his death.
Issac Sims’ family said he spent every day last week coming to the VA hospital, but was told on Friday that he had to wait a month to be admitted for his PTSD. Sims, 26, was an Iraq war veteran.
On Sunday, Sims got into a fight with his father outside their home on 23rd and Lawndale. A neighbor called police when Sims fired gunshots.
When officers arrived, they decided to call in the SWAT team. The standoff ended when officers shot and killed Sims.
“I said ‘Don’t shoot him, I can get there without a problem,” Issac’s father Adrian said. In the aftermath, his mother Patricia attempted to save anything that belonged to her son from the gruesome scene, including his bloody shirt.
Army records show Sims served in Iraq for two tours. His family said he enlisted when he was 18 years old following his father who served in the Vietnam War and his grandfather who served in the Korean War.
read more here
Before everyone gets all about blaming Retired U.S. Army General Eric K. Shinseki, know this. In 1993 my husband was told to "come back" because there were no beds for him. None of this is new. After all these years, all the lives lost after all the money the Congress has funded, when the hell will the Veterans Affairs Committees actually take their jobs seriously enough to actually fix this?UPDATE
Veteran sought VA hospital treatment days before death
KSHB 41 News
Andres Gutierrez
6:59 PM, May 28, 2014
26 mins ago
KANSAS CITY, Mo - Patricia Sims struggles with the loss of her son Issac, shot when he pointed an assault rifle at police on Sunday.
“I can't believe I don't have my son, I miss him more than anything, I miss his noise,” she said.
The 26-year-old served in the U.S. Army for six years and what he witnessed during the two combat tours in Iraq left him with invisible wounds.
“An IED had exploded, he had body parts in front of him, he picked up all the body parts that stays with you,” Patricia said.
Army psychiatrists diagnosed Sims with post-traumatic stress disorder.
"He's been messed up since he left Iraq," his mother said.
Sims' behavior changed when he returned home last April. His mother said Sims would drive in the family's Humvee pretending Kansas City streets were Iraq's rugged terrain. According to his mother, at times, the veteran resorted to inhaling aerosols to escape reality.
In April, a judge put him on probation for two counts of domestic violence and ordered him to seek treatment for his PTSD.
read more here
Chairman of Joint Chiefs General Martin Dempsey Thanks Service Members, Families
Dempsey Thanks Service Members, Families During Memorial Day Concert
American Forces Press Service
By Jim Garamone
March 26, 2014
WASHINGTON, May 26, 2014 – The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff thanked service members and their families for their sacrifices during the National Memorial Day Concert here last night.
Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey told a nationwide audience that Americans trust their service members. These young men and women “are willing to fight in every clime and every place. Willing to risk and even give their lives for its ideals,” the chairman said.
On Memorial Day, Americans remember the courage of their sons and daughters in uniform, Dempsey said. “We renew our strength, the strength of our nation for their deep devotion,” he said. “We rededicate ourselves to secure our national purpose: to secure the blessings of liberty.”
On Memorial Day, the country “honors those who honored us -- men and women from every corner of our country and every branch of service -- who gave their lives so we can live free,” the chairman continued.
The nation must look back at the heroes who have brought it this far, Dempsey told the audience.
read more here
American Forces Press Service
By Jim Garamone
March 26, 2014
Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and his wife Deanie talk with John Peck, a former Marine Corps sergeant and wounded warrior, prior to the 25th National Memorial Day Concert on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., May 25, 2014. Peck’s story of resiliency was shared during the concert, along with other dramatic readings to pay tribute to their sacrifices as well as those of their families and loved ones.
DOD photo by Air Force Tech. Sgt. Nathan Gallahan
WASHINGTON, May 26, 2014 – The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff thanked service members and their families for their sacrifices during the National Memorial Day Concert here last night.
Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey told a nationwide audience that Americans trust their service members. These young men and women “are willing to fight in every clime and every place. Willing to risk and even give their lives for its ideals,” the chairman said.
On Memorial Day, Americans remember the courage of their sons and daughters in uniform, Dempsey said. “We renew our strength, the strength of our nation for their deep devotion,” he said. “We rededicate ourselves to secure our national purpose: to secure the blessings of liberty.”
On Memorial Day, the country “honors those who honored us -- men and women from every corner of our country and every branch of service -- who gave their lives so we can live free,” the chairman continued.
The nation must look back at the heroes who have brought it this far, Dempsey told the audience.
read more here
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
Military working on brain implant for PTSD?
$70 million more to do something about something they still don't understand!
U.S. Military Will Develop Brain Implants to Treat PTSD
Discovery Magazine
By Carl Engelking
May 27, 2014
Roughly 2.8 million men and women have served in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and it’s estimated that up to 20 percent of those individuals will suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder upon returning home.
In light of this sobering statistic, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has embarked on a 5-year, $70 million project to develop electronic devices that can be implanted in brains to treat PTSD and other psychological problems faced by military personnel. The new devices would both monitor and stimulate specific neural circuits in order to train the brain to function correctly.
Scientists at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and Massachusetts General Hospital are leading the effort, which is part of President Barack Obama’s larger BRAIN Initiative.
read more here
Family Scrambles as Veteran Dies Unexpectedly
Family Scrambles as Batavia Veteran Dies Unexpectedly, Asking Community for Help
WBTAI
Sloane Martin
May 27, 2014
A Batavia family is grieving while struggling with the expense of burying their son.
Jamie Carney, a veteran of two tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, died in New Jersey on Saturday. He was 27.
The cause of the young man’s death remains a mystery.
“His goal this past weekend was to go to New York City for the first time in his life, see New York City, come home for Memorial Day to the Rubin family in Massachusetts where it was their son’s birthday. He was going to celebrate Memorial Day and the birthday with this little boy. He never made it back because he died in a hotel room,” Paula Zirbel, a close friend of the family’s, said.
Zirbel said Jamie was being treated for post-traumatic stress disorder. However, he was starting to build a life in Boston and he had dedicated his last 16 months caring for a special needs child -- who's birthday was approaching -- and recently began his undergrad work in Early Childhood Development. That’s what makes his unexpected death that much more heartbreaking.
“When your son goes to war, as Dave and Elizabeth had told me last night,” she said, “you fear that this phone call is going to come. Once he goes through two tours and he comes home and he’s not okay for a while, you still fear that this phone call will come. When this phone call came, the family was finally happy and content for Jamie. He came home for Easter and claimed how much he had found some peace and some love for this little boy and a direction of what he wanted to do and he was starting to heal. So, this was a time when this phone call came that the family was finally relaxed, they were finally at ease. When the call came it was at a time when they were naively thinking everything was going to be okay.”
read more here
WBTAI
Sloane Martin
May 27, 2014
A Batavia family is grieving while struggling with the expense of burying their son.
Jamie Carney, a veteran of two tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, died in New Jersey on Saturday. He was 27.
The cause of the young man’s death remains a mystery.
“His goal this past weekend was to go to New York City for the first time in his life, see New York City, come home for Memorial Day to the Rubin family in Massachusetts where it was their son’s birthday. He was going to celebrate Memorial Day and the birthday with this little boy. He never made it back because he died in a hotel room,” Paula Zirbel, a close friend of the family’s, said.
Zirbel said Jamie was being treated for post-traumatic stress disorder. However, he was starting to build a life in Boston and he had dedicated his last 16 months caring for a special needs child -- who's birthday was approaching -- and recently began his undergrad work in Early Childhood Development. That’s what makes his unexpected death that much more heartbreaking.
“When your son goes to war, as Dave and Elizabeth had told me last night,” she said, “you fear that this phone call is going to come. Once he goes through two tours and he comes home and he’s not okay for a while, you still fear that this phone call will come. When this phone call came, the family was finally happy and content for Jamie. He came home for Easter and claimed how much he had found some peace and some love for this little boy and a direction of what he wanted to do and he was starting to heal. So, this was a time when this phone call came that the family was finally relaxed, they were finally at ease. When the call came it was at a time when they were naively thinking everything was going to be okay.”
read more here
Fort Lewis Soldier Missing After Facebook Post saying "Goodbye World"
Washington soldier missing after posting cryptic Facebook message
Josh Warner, a mechanic at Fort Lewis Army base and married father of two boys, has been missing since posting a message on his Facebook page reading, 'Good bye world,' on Wednesday.
BY NINA GOLGOWSKI
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Monday, May 26, 2014
A Washington soldier is missing after posting a chilling message on Facebook reading, "Good bye world."
Josh Warner, a mechanic at Washington's Fort Lewis Army base, has been missing since early Wednesday morning shortly after he kissed his wife and mother of his two kids goodbye, she told KOMO News.
"He woke me up to give me a hug and kiss goodbye and then there was cops at my door, pounding on my door," said Brandi Warner amid tears.
The mechanic for the 2nd Stryker Brigade and father of two young boys appeared to be going to work when he left their Spanaway home.
read more here
Josh Warner, a mechanic at Fort Lewis Army base and married father of two boys, has been missing since posting a message on his Facebook page reading, 'Good bye world,' on Wednesday.
BY NINA GOLGOWSKI
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Monday, May 26, 2014
A Washington soldier is missing after posting a chilling message on Facebook reading, "Good bye world."
Josh Warner, a mechanic at Washington's Fort Lewis Army base, has been missing since early Wednesday morning shortly after he kissed his wife and mother of his two kids goodbye, she told KOMO News.
"He woke me up to give me a hug and kiss goodbye and then there was cops at my door, pounding on my door," said Brandi Warner amid tears.
The mechanic for the 2nd Stryker Brigade and father of two young boys appeared to be going to work when he left their Spanaway home.
read more here
Soldier shares PTSD struggle to save others "Frozen in War"
Soldier shares PTSD struggle to save others
KHOU Texas
by JADE MINGUS / KVUE News
Photojournalist Dennis Thomas
Posted on May 26, 2014
AUSTIN -- A soldier living in Lockhart is using his struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder to give other service members hope through a documentary called "Frozen in War."
Andrew O'Brien tried to kill himself when he returned home from Iraq by overdosing in 2010.
"The reason I attempted suicide was I felt alone, I felt weak for feeling the way I did," said O'Brien.
O'Brien says his best therapy is sharing his story, and he's doing it at military installations across the country.
"I’ll speak to a crowd of 100 soldiers and out of that 100, ten will come up and tell me their suicide attempt story,' said O'Brien.
According to the Department of Veterans Affairs 22 veterans commit suicide every day.
Director Estephania LeBaron has followed O'Brien around the country for the past year, filming his journey of helping others. She has completed 20 minutes of the "Frozen in War" documentary and hopes to finish it this year. The goal is to screen it in theaters across the country and start a conversation.
"It is so rewarding for me," said LeBaron. "This helps the conversation begin."
read more here
KHOU Texas
by JADE MINGUS / KVUE News
Photojournalist Dennis Thomas
Posted on May 26, 2014
AUSTIN -- A soldier living in Lockhart is using his struggle with post-traumatic stress disorder to give other service members hope through a documentary called "Frozen in War."
Andrew O'Brien tried to kill himself when he returned home from Iraq by overdosing in 2010.
"The reason I attempted suicide was I felt alone, I felt weak for feeling the way I did," said O'Brien.
O'Brien says his best therapy is sharing his story, and he's doing it at military installations across the country.
"I’ll speak to a crowd of 100 soldiers and out of that 100, ten will come up and tell me their suicide attempt story,' said O'Brien.
According to the Department of Veterans Affairs 22 veterans commit suicide every day.
Director Estephania LeBaron has followed O'Brien around the country for the past year, filming his journey of helping others. She has completed 20 minutes of the "Frozen in War" documentary and hopes to finish it this year. The goal is to screen it in theaters across the country and start a conversation.
"It is so rewarding for me," said LeBaron. "This helps the conversation begin."
read more here
Lakeland triple-murder suspect captured in Tennessee
UPDATE
Polk County triple-murder suspect dies after standoff in Tennessee
David Eugene Smith in standoff with SWAT
By Andrea Dennis
UPDATED 5:50 PM EDT May 27, 2014
Polk County triple-murder suspect dies after standoff in Tennessee
David Eugene Smith in standoff with SWAT
By Andrea Dennis
UPDATED 5:50 PM EDT May 27, 2014
We need to start thinking about something very carefully. It is a question that needs to finally be answered. How does a soldier go from risking his life for others then turn around and murder someone? How does this happen? When you consider this part of a terrible story, "The sheriff said Eugene Smith served in the Army's 82nd Airborne Division in Iraq and Afghanistan, suffers from post traumatic stress disorder and had been Baker Acted in the past." we need to know how mental health professionals let it get this bad.
Lakeland triple-murder suspect captured in Tennessee after wounding himself
MyNews13
May 27, 2014
LAKELAND
The man wanted in the murders of three people in south Lakeland over the weekend was captured in Knoxville, Tenn., Tuesday after he wounded himself during a SWAT standoff, authorities said.
Eugene Smith, 27, was apprehended at a Days Inn motel, according to authorities. His condition was not immediately known.
Knox County Sheriff's Office Maj. Mike MacLean said Smith called the agency around 11 a.m. and said he wanted to commit "suicide by cop." A SWAT team and other law enforcement members then responded to the motel.
read more here
Mom lost son to suicide after Iraq
All the training and funding the DOD and the VA pushed since 2007 and still this happened.
How many times do they have to hold hearings before they actually listen?
Brian took his life on May 27, 2011 - five months after returning home from Iraq.
Mother says late son didn't get help he needed from VA
WXIA
Blayne Alexander
May 26, 2014
ROSWELL, Ga. -- A mother whose son committed suicide after serving two tours of duty in Iraq says he didn't get the help that he needed from the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Peggy Portwine is going to Capitol Hill in a few weeks to speak before the Veteran's Affairs Committee.
She says her son, Brian Portwine, visited the VA in Florida, but was never properly treated for post traumatic stress disorder.
Brian Portwine enlisted at age 17, right out of high school. After a year of basic training at Fort Hood, he was deployed to Iraq.
read more here
How many times do they have to hold hearings before they actually listen?
DOD discharging victims of sexual assaults under personality disorders
Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
May 27, 2014
Members of Congress pretended military sexual assaults were taken seriously for too many years for it to still be this bad.
That was 2008, followed by this in 2009 when a female soldier went to a Chaplain after being raped and was told it must have been God's will for it to happen to her.
Followed by this in 2011
Just a refresher for you to consider when you read the latest news out of Congress and the DOD,
Lawmaker claims Pentagon using new diagnosis to drive out sex assault accusers
FoxNews.com
Published May 27, 2014
Supporters said one in three women leaving the military report experiencing sexual trauma while in the service, but less than 14 percent of sexual assaults in the military are reported to authorities, and only about 8 percent of reported sexual assaults in the military are prosecuted.
Lawmakers have expressed fears that the Defense Department is using a new disorder diagnosis to remove accusers in sexual assault cases from the military.
Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., has accused the Pentagon of diagnosing troops who report that they were sexually assaulted with adjustment disorder and having them discharged. Speier told the Times that the practice is a new tactic for the military, which previously diagnosed service members tied to sexual assault cases with personality disorder.
"It’s like a 'Whac-A-Mole,'" Speier told the paper. "Every time we shut them down on something, they'll find a way around it."
The Times report cites a study from Yale University Law School that reports that the number of discharges due to personality disorder dropped from more than 1,200 in fiscal year 2007 to just over 100 in fiscal year 2009. Over the same period, the paper says, adjustment disorder discharges increased sevenfold.
read more here
Kathie Costos
May 27, 2014
Members of Congress pretended military sexual assaults were taken seriously for too many years for it to still be this bad.
Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., a member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, said in a Monday letter to Defense Secretary Robert Gates that harassment and assault of military women, especially in combat zones, is a “scourge” that needs to be eliminated.
Casey is particularly interested in how the military handles complaints from women in the National Guard and reserve, whose cases may be harder to investigate than those of women on full-time active duty and in the federal civilian workforce.
In the letter, Casey said he knows the military is trying to do more, but added: “I am still very troubled by a process that may dissuade many victims from ever coming forward with claims.”
(Senator: DoD must eliminate sexual assaults, By Rick Maze - Staff writer, Jul 14, 2008)
That was 2008, followed by this in 2009 when a female soldier went to a Chaplain after being raped and was told it must have been God's will for it to happen to her.
In February 2009, she reported for active duty training and, upon seeing her rapist, went into shock.
"She immediately sought the assistance of the military chaplain," the lawsuit reads. "When SGT Havrilla met with the military chaplain, he told her that 'it must have been God's will for her to be raped' and recommended that she attend church more frequently."
The complains adds that "SGT Havrilla suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and chronic depression."
Followed by this in 2011
The House Armed Services Committee adopted a series of new protections when it passed the 2012 defense authorization bill last week, and similar legislation was introduced Wednesday in the Senate by Sens. John Kerry, D-Mass., and Susan Collins, R-Maine.
Rep. Niki Tsongas, D-Mass., one of the cosponsors of the House sexual assault provisions, said introduction of a Senate bill “will help move this legislation closer to becoming law.”
The House and Senate initiatives are similar, drawn from recommendations of the 2009 final report of the Defense Task Force on Sexual Assault in the Military Services to fix flaws in the rights and legal protections for assault victims.
Just a refresher for you to consider when you read the latest news out of Congress and the DOD,
Lawmaker claims Pentagon using new diagnosis to drive out sex assault accusers
FoxNews.com
Published May 27, 2014
Supporters said one in three women leaving the military report experiencing sexual trauma while in the service, but less than 14 percent of sexual assaults in the military are reported to authorities, and only about 8 percent of reported sexual assaults in the military are prosecuted.
Lawmakers have expressed fears that the Defense Department is using a new disorder diagnosis to remove accusers in sexual assault cases from the military.
Rep. Jackie Speier, D-Calif., has accused the Pentagon of diagnosing troops who report that they were sexually assaulted with adjustment disorder and having them discharged. Speier told the Times that the practice is a new tactic for the military, which previously diagnosed service members tied to sexual assault cases with personality disorder.
"It’s like a 'Whac-A-Mole,'" Speier told the paper. "Every time we shut them down on something, they'll find a way around it."
The Times report cites a study from Yale University Law School that reports that the number of discharges due to personality disorder dropped from more than 1,200 in fiscal year 2007 to just over 100 in fiscal year 2009. Over the same period, the paper says, adjustment disorder discharges increased sevenfold.
read more here
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