Fighting Combat PTSD in Scotland

Fighting on the frontline: PTSD cases surge across Scotland
Edinburgh
By Laura Piper
18 August 2014

Lance Corporal John Templeton was one soldier who was referred to the charity by his GP after suffering a breakdown years after he had left the army.

"I had been suppressing it for years, self-medicating through alcohol misuse," he said. "I think I used drink to keep the demons away at night...me and the lads just had a drink and – you know that phrase 'just soldier on' – well, that’s what we did.

“I now know I should have got help a lot earlier. If I had maybe I wouldn’t have lost so much."

It has been described as the invisible scar of war; the bomb waiting to explode when a soldier returns home.

For men and women returning from conflict, post-traumatic stress disorder can be a battle they never expected to fight.

In the military there is a deep-rooted ethos that 'no man gets left behind' with soldiers committed to risking all to protect those they fight alongside.

In Scotland, there are two men carrying this belief on long after the call to duty has been answered.

As one of only two regional officers for Combat Stress in Scotland, Lappin has to see the on-going turmoil in the eyes of veterans every single day.

"If you were to draw a line down Scotland I would be on the West and Jim Lawrence the East," said Lappin.

Together, the two men travel door to door across the country, meeting veterans in their own home in order to help them take the first step to confronting their ongoing battles.

"When I started here we were getting an average of 60 new referrals a year. Now, I'd say that's up to 130, partly because of the recent conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"But as much as we see veterans from Iraq we see many, if not more, from the Falklands and Northern Ireland. And the numbers are rising."
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Navy Blue Angels Cover Chicago Sky

Thousands Crowd Lakefront As Blue Angels Return To Chicago Air And Water Show
CBS Chicago
August 16, 2014

CHICAGO (CBS) — Thousands crowded Chicago’s lakefront as the U.S. Navy Blue Angels made their return to the Chicago Air and Water Show on Saturday.

WBBM’s Lisa Fielding reports Fullerton Beach was filled with a diverse group and there were many from overseas experiencing their very first airshow.

“It is pretty unique,” said Tristan from Argentina. “It is amazing. We love it.”
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Lewis-McChord soldier leaves hospital, minus car plus new baby

JBLM soldier's car found after being stolen from hospital
KOMO News
By Kristen Drew
Published: Aug 16, 2014

LACEY, Wash. -- The stolen vehicle belonging to a Joint Base Lewis-McChord soldier has been recovered by police in Lacey.

Army Spc. Jorge Garcia and his wife, Ramona, were preparing to leave St. Peter Hospital in Olympia on Wednesday after giving birth to a daughter when they noticed their 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe was stolen from the hospital parking lot.
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Boston Red Sox Remember Major General Harold Greene

Red Sox honor general killed in Afghanistan
Harold Greene was Red Sox fan
WCVB News
August 17, 2014

The family of Maj. Gen. Harold Greene, from left, daughter-in-law Kasandra, son Matthew and daughter Amelia, is honored during the fifth inning of a baseball game between the Boston Red Sox and the Houston Astros in Boston, Saturday, Aug. 16, 2014
AP Photo/Michael Dwyer

BOSTON —The Red Sox had a moment Saturday night to honor Maj. Gen. Harold "Harry" J. Greene, who was killed in Afghanistan earlier this month. He was born in Boston and was a big Red Sox fan.

His family wore Red Sox jerseys and stood on top of the dugout when his picture was shown on the center-field scoreboard after the fifth inning. They received a standing ovation. Greene, the highest-ranking U.S. military officer killed in combat since the Vietnam War, was buried with full honors Thursday at Arlington National Cemetery.

The 55-year-old two-star general went to Afghanistan in January. It was his first deployment to a war zone.
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Orlando Veterans raise funds for others in need

These two said if they raised $1,000, they would have their heads shaved!

There was jail time,

and more jail time

and some more jail time

and then there were gifts

but more, there was a great time had by all!

At the end of the video it was announced they raised over $3,000 but later it was announced it was over $4,000!

Robin Williams USO Tours Now News?

How is it that all of a sudden, the press is interested in Robin Williams going all over the world to spend time entertaining our troops? Why didn't they care before this?

Comedian Robin Williams greets soldiers stationed in Ramadi, Iraq prior to a USO show at the base. Dec. 19, 2007. Williams was joined by award winning recording artist Kid Rock, Miss USA Rachel Smith, comedian Lewis Black and seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong on the 15-stop, seven-country tour thanking the forward deployed troops for their sacrifice and service. Defense Dept. photo by U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley

Robin Williams' USO tours made him a familiar face to military crowds
LA Times
By CHRISTIE D'ZURILLA
August 12, 2014

Robin Williams earned his first Oscar nomination playing U.S. Air Force Sgt. Adrian Cronauer in 1987's "Good Morning, Vietnam" -- but his real-life relationship with the military in the form of USO shows didn't get rolling until 2002.

Williams, who died Monday of an apparent suicide at age 63, went on his first tour that year to perform for troops in Afghanistan and Turkey, according to the USO.

His passport would eventually include stamps from doing shows in Bahrain, Djibouti, Germany, Iraq, Italy, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Qatar, Spain and the United Arab Emirates, the Military Times reported. There were visits in the United States as well.

One particularly noteworthy moment on the USO stage happened at Camp Arifjan, Kuwait, in December 2007, the year after Williams got out of rehab. He was joking about rehab being a good thing -- "Because I was violating my standards faster than I could lower them" -- when all of a sudden the entire audience turned its back on him as a horn played.

"I'm not gonna forget that. I've never had an entire audience just go 'forget you'" he said, turning his back momentarily to the crowd. "I was also wondering what's coming from that way. When an entire group of military people turns that ... way."

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For some memorable moments with Robin Williams showing up for the troops go here.
Military Community Mourns Loss of Robin Williams

One year in Vietnam changed PTSD veteran's life forever

Vietnam experience sent soldier into dark spiral
The Desert Sun
Sherry Barkas
August 16, 2014

Ezra “Jim” Pratt was born and raised in Indio, where he lives again today. A member of the Indio High School Class of 1963, he was drafted to serve in the Vietnam War.
(Photo: Sherry Barkas/The Desert Sun)

“My physical wounds healed quickly, but the spiritual, psychological wounds still today can give me trouble,” Pratt said. “I started to question, ‘Is there really a God and why has he got me here going through this,’ ” he said, sitting in his sparsely furnished Indio home.

One year on the front lines in Vietnam put Ezra “Jim” Pratt’s life on a different course, forever.

He went over thinking he was doing something positive for the country and returned with a hardened outlook on the war and the United States’ involvement.

“I wasn’t in Vietnam a month and I realized it was just some kind of race between the communists and capitalists...,” he said. “We were just kids.”

“I came from a middle-class family and thought I would get married and go to work at the same job for 30 years,” said the recipient of a Bronze Medal for valor and a Purple Heart. “I got over there and I started questioning life in general. I got involved in something so terribly horrifying, it killed my spirit.”

His life since has been wrapped in addiction, relationships and jobs he couldn’t hold for long and some time in prison on drug charges, Pratt said.

It was a diagnosis 25 years later of post-traumatic stress disorder that finally helped Pratt get his life on track, showing him the root of his anger and ways to curb it without becoming violent. With that he also sought help for his substance abuse.
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Fourth grade teacher learns of son being wounded in class

Scottsdale woman identifies son among soldiers injured in Afghanistan
AZ Central
Brittany Hargrave, The Republic
August 16, 2014

As the rest of the world was learning about an attack at an Afghanistan training base near Kabul this month, a Scottsdale elementary school teacher was dealing with the event in a personal way.

Allison Vredevoogd said her son, Army Reserve staff Sgt. Lon Giancola, called her the morning of Aug. 5 from a Kabul hospital, where he was recovering from multiple gunshot wounds to his right arm suffered in the attack.

"The first words out of his mouth were, 'I want you to know I can move my fingers and toes,' " Vredevoogd said. "Then I sat down real quick."

That first call lasted just two minutes. Giancola, 25, insisted he was all right. Vredevoogd wasn't reassured.

She received a second call the next day, a video call this time. But this time, she had an audience: 32 fourth-grade students.

For the children, unexpected witnesses to an emotional moment, the experience became a real-life classroom lesson about the world, the war and the reality of wounded soldiers.
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Vietnam Veteran declared dead by VA after identity thief died

VA letter tells veteran he's dead
WCSC News 5
Posted: Aug 15, 2014

Charles Hubbard said the problem goes back to when his identity was stolen in California by a man who died. (Source: KVUE/CNN)

AUSTIN, TX (KVUE/CNN) - A Vietnam veteran received a letter from the Department of Veteran Affairs informing him he was dead, and demanding his family pay back thousands of dollars in benefits.

"I died Jan. 15 of this year," said very much alive Charles Hubbard.

The Navy veteran who served during the Vietnam War said he learned about his untimely demise in the letter that also said his family had to pay back money received after his death.

"Our records show the deceased was not entitled to benefits in the amount of $5,270 and 0 cents. The VA said I was deceased, and they closed my checking account when the bank found out," Hubbard said.

Hubbard suspects the problem started after a man stole his identity and used it to get treatment at a California hospital.

The man who stole his identity then passed away.
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Thieves steal from veterans graves, Deputy Sheriffs donate time

Thieves Steal From Hundreds of Veteran's Graves
WBNS News 10
By Josh Poland
August 15, 2014

The sheriff's office says the thieves worked their way across Perry County in June and July. They are accused of stealing from at least 15 cemeteries and taking a total of 362 brass rods.

"It's probably one of the most shameful crimes I've investigated as a deputy," said Deputy Adam Newlon.

Newlon says he began investigating the crimes in June with Deputy Brandon Forester.

He says the two put in more than 100 hours of their own free time investigating the case because it meant so much to them.

NEW LEXINGTON, Ohio - Special veteran memorials at the Crooksville Cemetery tell stories.

They are stories of those who defended our freedom, stories of those who gave everything for it.

Some of those memorials have a new story to tell. It's one that fellow veterans wish they didn't have to tell.

"There's no if's, and's or but's, it's wrong," said Tom Workman as he described thieves stealing the brass rods from veteran memorials across Perry County.

"The people that served deserve the respect," he said. "The people that are stealing don't deserve any respect."

Workman is a Vietnam veteran and the commander of the VFW Perry County Post 2806.

When 10TV spoke with him Friday evening, he was getting ready to bury a fellow Vietnam veteran and VFW member over the weekend.
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Tampa Nam Knights Get PTSD Veteran Back on Bike

Bikers refurbish disabled veteran's stolen motorcycle
William R. Levesque
Times Staff Writer
Saturday, August 16, 2014

TAMPA — Army veteran Paul Rivera said he was planning to sell his $10,000 customized motorcycle before it was stolen from outside his Tampa apartment on June 18. But he's got it back. And he just might keep it forever.

"I'm never going to get rid of it now," Rivera said.

With the help of the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office and others, the Nam Knights Motorcycle Club Westside Chapter presented Rivera with his newly refurbished 2005 Honda CBR 600 at the Veterans Memorial Park and Museum Saturday.

After thieves stole the Honda, they nearly ruined it by trying to hide its orange and red colors by painting it black. Parts were missing and the bike's body was damaged. Even the seat was missing.

"Of course, it's not their bike," said Hillsborough Deputy Buddy Rudolph. "They stole it. So they don't take the best care of it."

After the bike was recovered on July 3 and thieves arrested, Hillsborough deputies decided to get the Honda repaired for Rivera, who is a disabled Iraq war veteran suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.
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Facebook puts triple amputee's pictures back up

Facebook orders war hero who lost both legs and an arm in Afghanistan to remove picture of his 'offensive' stump
Andy Reid, 37, lost two legs and an arm serving in Afghanistan in 2009
Posted a photo of his stump with the message 'hard work on the legs today'
Site's community team removed the photo because it was 'offensive'
Facebook said the removal was a 'mistake' and re-uploaded the photo
Daily Mail UK
By WILLS ROBINSON FOR MAILONLINE
16 August 2014

Corporal Reid stepped on a landmine whilst out on patrol in Helmand Province in October 2009

A war hero who lost both legs and an arm while serving in Afghanistan has called Facebook 'harsh and narrow-minded' after they removed a picture of one of his stumps because it was 'offensive'.

Former Corporal Andy Reid, 37, from St Helens, Merseyside became a triple-amputee when a landmine exploded while he was on patrol in Helmand Province in 2009.

The father-of-one posted the picture of his stump with the caption 'hard work on the legs today'.

But it was taken down by the social media's site communities team after a user complained about it.

The site removed the innocent image, despite the fact it does not ban violent clips, including beheadings.

He told The Sun: 'It's just a picture of my leg at the end of the day. What's offensive about it? 'This is nowhere near as offensive as some of the pictures spreading from Islamic State fighters.

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Mom welcomes home son with 100 flags lining street

FLAGS WELCOME SPECIAL AGENT HOME FROM AFGHANISTAN
ABC News
By Kevin Quinn
Friday, August 15, 2014

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- More than 100 US flags line one Fort Bend County street.

They were put there overnight by the mother of a man who just returned from a year-long tour of duty for the State Department in Afghanistan.

Special Agent Mark Richardson says, "I certainly wasn't expecting this. I was really embarrassed, but she's a great mom and it was really sweet of her to do that."

His mother Kathryn calls him a hero. She says, "This boy is the best. He's the best son in the world."

She's been battling breast cancer and other ailments over the past few years and says despite being thousands of miles away, her son has always been supportive of her recovery. She wanted to show him what his devotion means to her.

So she knocked on her neighbors' doors in advance, asking for their permission to place a flag at the edge of each of their properties, so the red, white and blue would line the street as they drove Mark to her home early Friday morning.
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Colorado Veterans Sued VA

News 5 Investigates: Claims paid by Colorado VA
KOAA News
by Eric Ross
August 15, 2014

In one case, a patient's prostate was wrongfully removed because of a paperwork mix-up.

Surgeons believed the patient had prostate cancer, but the file they were looking at belonged to a different veteran.

More than 400 claims have been filed and nearly $15 million in damages have been awarded to Colorado veterans who sued the VA for poor healthcare and medical malpractice over the past decade.

"It took the VA 7 months to set up my first appointment," army veteran Donald Colvin Jr. said.

Colvin Jr. says he suffers from a knee injury, asthma, PTSD, and impaired hearing.

"To this day I'm still waiting to see a doctor for some of my problems," he said. "The VA says I'm on the list to see one, but I don't know where I am on that list."

Last week, the VA tooted their horn for having better care for veterans in Colorado compared to other parts of the nation, but did admit they have lost trust in the community following the national scandal.

"This operation in Denver is one of the best across the nation," Sloan Gibson with the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs said. "We are continuing to earn that trust day in and day out."
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