SWAT Training Conducted Near Veterans With PTSD
13 WHO NBC News
BY AARON BRILBECK
SEPTEMBER 23, 2014
MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa — Masked Marshalltown police officers, decked out in SWAT gear and carrying realistic looking guns, conducted training last Friday at the Iowa Veterans Home where quite a few residents suffer with post traumatic stress disorder.
“You get somebody with pistols out there violently trying to break into a building, even if it’s an empty building, and if they see it and they’ve been in Fallujah or some of the other places where there has been that kind of combat, you’re gonna have problems,” says Bob Krause with the Veterans National Recovery Center.
The training was conducted at an auditorium and cottages where family members can stay. Commandant Jodi Tymeson says it’s not uncommon for police and firefighters to train on the grounds of the Iowa Veterans Home. She says, staff who need to know are given ample warning, but warning everyone is difficult. “We are a large campus with a lot of staff and a large number of residents so we do our best to notify everyone.”
read more here
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Tuesday, September 23, 2014
VA Doctor's Answer to PTSD, More Pills, Less Talk
Since I already popped my cork today I will not add more to this.
Dr. Suris is the Chief of Psychiatry of Mental Health at Dallas’ VA Medical Center. Her research into a more efficient PTSD treatment has been called promising because it does not dwell on the traumatic memory.Enough said
“You come in and you have a 30 second exposure to your trauma,” Dr. Suris said. “That 30 second exposure is paired with a medication that we know is safe. We’re trying to interfere with that emotional connection. So you don’t lose the memory of the trauma, at all. But, you lose how you respond to that trauma. So if you think about your trauma, you’re not upset. It’s a fact.”
‘Ghost Closet’ Vietnam Veteran Shares Story of Little Girl Lost in Duc Pho
One lost little girl haunts Vietnam veteran still today
Monroe News
By Tom Treece
September 22, 2014
“I go to sleep and dream about ’Nam, and I see her face, and then … I see her hand slipping out of mine.”
As he shared his heartbreak with me, my heart went out to him. “After reading your ‘Ghost Closet’ book, I realized we had served in the same area, and knowing you have connections there, I’m hoping you can check to see if she might have survived.”
Late August, 1970, was the calendar’s breeding grounds for Southeast Asia’s monsoon season that would sweep in off the South China Sea and hang around for the next three months. The place he described, I remembered all too well.
LZ Bronco — the home firebase of my 11th Infantry unit — sat just outside the gates to the Village of Duc Pho in what was then South Vietnam. More importantly, it also stood just off the coast of that now-raging sea. “She’d probably be in her 50s … if she survived,” he continued. “ What a burden I could lose if I KNEW she had made it.”
read more here
Monroe News
By Tom Treece
September 22, 2014
“I go to sleep and dream about ’Nam, and I see her face, and then … I see her hand slipping out of mine.”
As he shared his heartbreak with me, my heart went out to him. “After reading your ‘Ghost Closet’ book, I realized we had served in the same area, and knowing you have connections there, I’m hoping you can check to see if she might have survived.”
Late August, 1970, was the calendar’s breeding grounds for Southeast Asia’s monsoon season that would sweep in off the South China Sea and hang around for the next three months. The place he described, I remembered all too well.
LZ Bronco — the home firebase of my 11th Infantry unit — sat just outside the gates to the Village of Duc Pho in what was then South Vietnam. More importantly, it also stood just off the coast of that now-raging sea. “She’d probably be in her 50s … if she survived,” he continued. “ What a burden I could lose if I KNEW she had made it.”
read more here
'Horror show’ hotel transformed into home for veterans
'Horror show’ hotel transformed into home for veterans
San Francisco Gate
By John Coté
September 23, 2014
Four years ago it was described as San Francisco’s worst SRO and a “horror show.” Now, after almost $10 million in renovations, the former Stanford Hotel on Kearny Street is about to give 130 veterans something many have lacked for years: a home.
San Francisco is preparing to lease the former single-room-occupancy hotel for about $2 million a year for at least 10 years to provide housing for the city’s most desperate homeless veterans. About 73 percent of the costs are to be covered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
The project, known as 250 Kearny, represents a sizable piece of the city’s effort to end homelessness for veterans by the end of 2015, a challenge that President Obama issued to the nation’s mayors in June.
“This project will place San Francisco within reach of meeting that ambitious goal,” said Mayor Ed Lee.
“This is the largest number of homeless veterans housed at a single time ever in San Francisco.”
read more here
San Francisco Gate
By John Coté
September 23, 2014
Four years ago it was described as San Francisco’s worst SRO and a “horror show.” Now, after almost $10 million in renovations, the former Stanford Hotel on Kearny Street is about to give 130 veterans something many have lacked for years: a home.
San Francisco is preparing to lease the former single-room-occupancy hotel for about $2 million a year for at least 10 years to provide housing for the city’s most desperate homeless veterans. About 73 percent of the costs are to be covered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
The project, known as 250 Kearny, represents a sizable piece of the city’s effort to end homelessness for veterans by the end of 2015, a challenge that President Obama issued to the nation’s mayors in June.
“This project will place San Francisco within reach of meeting that ambitious goal,” said Mayor Ed Lee.
“This is the largest number of homeless veterans housed at a single time ever in San Francisco.”
read more here
Ryan Kreider stepped in and saved Reveille
Reveille VIII: Texas A and M Collie Mascot Saved By Handler From Sideline Hit
[Viral Video]
Inquisiter
The best block of the SMU-Texas A and M game may have occurred off the field, as a quick acting cadet dog handler saved the Aggies’ mascot from being accidentally run over during yesterday’s NCAA football action.
Reveille VIII, the Lassie-lookalike who is the school’s current mascot, might have had a close encounter on the sidelines, but the game wasn’t even close as Johnny “Football” Manziel’s former team defeated SMU by a score of 58-6 at Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas.
Designated as a Senior Military College, one of only six in the U.S., Texas A and M is one of three public universities with a full-time volunteer Corps of Cadets in an ROTC program. One of the Corps duties is to protect the mascot.
The Dallas Morning News summarized what happened on the sidelines with Reveille VIII’s close call.
“Late in the second quarter of Texas A and M’s game against SMU, Mustangs receiver Der’ikk Thompson stumbled out of bounds after an incomplete pass and was on a collision path with Reveille. That’s when sophomore Ryan Kreider stepped in. Kredier threw a body check on Thompson to knock him off course and leave Reveille unharmed.”
read more here
Corps Member Saves Reveille
But here is the best part of all
Texas A and M cadet to be rewarded for saving Reveille
By Tom Fornelli
College Football Writer
September 22, 2014
[Viral Video]
Inquisiter
The best block of the SMU-Texas A and M game may have occurred off the field, as a quick acting cadet dog handler saved the Aggies’ mascot from being accidentally run over during yesterday’s NCAA football action.
Reveille VIII, the Lassie-lookalike who is the school’s current mascot, might have had a close encounter on the sidelines, but the game wasn’t even close as Johnny “Football” Manziel’s former team defeated SMU by a score of 58-6 at Gerald J. Ford Stadium in Dallas.
Designated as a Senior Military College, one of only six in the U.S., Texas A and M is one of three public universities with a full-time volunteer Corps of Cadets in an ROTC program. One of the Corps duties is to protect the mascot.
The Dallas Morning News summarized what happened on the sidelines with Reveille VIII’s close call.
“Late in the second quarter of Texas A and M’s game against SMU, Mustangs receiver Der’ikk Thompson stumbled out of bounds after an incomplete pass and was on a collision path with Reveille. That’s when sophomore Ryan Kreider stepped in. Kredier threw a body check on Thompson to knock him off course and leave Reveille unharmed.”
read more here
Corps Member Saves Reveille
But here is the best part of all
Texas A and M cadet to be rewarded for saving Reveille
By Tom Fornelli
College Football Writer
September 22, 2014
We now know the identity of the cadet who saved the day because he's being rewarded for his mascot heroism. Ryan Krieder will receive a special gift from the Commandant of Texas A and M's Corps of Cadets, Brigadier General Joe E. Ramirez.
"Cadet Ryan Kreider made ALL Aggies VERY proud today! What a selfless way for a cadet to take care of our beloved mascot, Miss Reveille," wrote Ramirez on his Facebook page. "As a result, the Commandant is going to buy Ryan's Senior Boots. Fellow cadets can give him junior/senior privileges as they deem appropriate, but I am so proud of what he did, that I'm willing to do something a little more 'substantial' to show the appreciation of ALL Aggies for his selfless act. Ryan, thanks for being such a superb example of what being a member of the Corps of Cadets and being an Aggie is all about! Your senior boots are now compliments of the Commandant! Well done, Ryan! Aggie nation is VERY proud of you!"
read more here
North Dakota National Guardsman's Family Talks About Suicide
For Tom: After losing soldier son to suicide, family seeks to dispel stigmas
Jamestown Sun
By Ryan Johnson
Sep 22, 2014
JAMESTOWN — Beth Doyle-Lautt has gotten used to the clutter in her house.
A basement room is filled with boxes and totes, tools and extra furniture.
The shed her husband, Dave Lautt, bought to store his new Harley-Davidson in last year is too full for the motorcycle, which now stands in the garage that doesn’t have room for their pickup.
"It’s too soon to get rid of anything and too soon to even go through it yet," he said. "We will; we’ll get there. It’s just on our terms."
Since Sept. 7, 2013, it’s been easier to keep busy than dwell on the loss they suffered that day when their son, Thomas Avery Doyle, a specialist in the North Dakota National Guard who served in Kuwait, died by suicide at the age of 22.
The couple have since worked to break through the stigma surrounding mental illness and post-traumatic stress disorder within the military and the world at large — something they believe contributed to their son’s suffering and eventual death.
read more here
Jamestown Sun
By Ryan Johnson
Sep 22, 2014
Dave Lautt and Beth Doyle-Lautt reminisce about their son, Spc. Thomas Avery Doyle, from their home in Jamestown. David Samson / Forum News Service
JAMESTOWN — Beth Doyle-Lautt has gotten used to the clutter in her house.
A basement room is filled with boxes and totes, tools and extra furniture.
The shed her husband, Dave Lautt, bought to store his new Harley-Davidson in last year is too full for the motorcycle, which now stands in the garage that doesn’t have room for their pickup.
"It’s too soon to get rid of anything and too soon to even go through it yet," he said. "We will; we’ll get there. It’s just on our terms."
Since Sept. 7, 2013, it’s been easier to keep busy than dwell on the loss they suffered that day when their son, Thomas Avery Doyle, a specialist in the North Dakota National Guard who served in Kuwait, died by suicide at the age of 22.
The couple have since worked to break through the stigma surrounding mental illness and post-traumatic stress disorder within the military and the world at large — something they believe contributed to their son’s suffering and eventual death.
read more here
CSF: How to Increase Military Suicides Without Really Trying
Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
September 23, 2014
What is the job of military leaders? Kill the enemy and get them to surrender with psychological pressure. Who had the bright idea they would be remotely capable of doing anything to save the lives of the troops serving under them?
There is a great line in the movie Steel Magnolias by Shirley MacLaine "I'm not crazy, M'Lynn, I've just been in a very bad mood for 40 years!" I've been in an every increasing bad mood for the last 30 years and today I may very well blow my top.
CSF, Comprehensive Soldier Fitness IS THE PROBLEM NOT THE SOLUTION! Gee what other words could those letters stand for? Here's a hint. They are not good words but I just gave you the last one. The terms are used everyday when soldiers try to explain the "efforts" the military has been doing for the last decade while they kill themselves more often than the enemy does.
Suicides tied to military service among veterans are twice the civilian population. If that doesn't seem bad enough then consider they are only 7% of the population. Maybe that means something to you but when you consider there are more veterans no longer counted by the DOD as they hide behind the reduction in suicides, that should really be a huge slap in the face.
They say;
There are less serving to count in the first place because of sequestration and the cutbacks thanks to Congress. They came out with Battlemind and then CSF. Congress has funded billions a year yet what happened? What happened to all that money? Who got it? Was anyone held accountable for the money wasted as more and more lives were lost to suicides? No, the bullshit result is the DOD and the VA say they don't have a clue if any of it is working or not. Well here's the biggest clue of all. They filled more coffins than the Taliban, al-Qaeda, Iraq Republican Guard. When you add up the number of suicides in the military plus those of the discharged the number is higher but one more catch is the DOD doesn't have to count them after they are discharged including those discharged under bad papers leaving them with nothing but heartache.
If all that isn't bad enough, here comes yet on more crap load of results of what they have done.
UPDATE
Now add this to the above out of a report on the situation at Fort Hood
Kathie Costos
September 23, 2014
What is the job of military leaders? Kill the enemy and get them to surrender with psychological pressure. Who had the bright idea they would be remotely capable of doing anything to save the lives of the troops serving under them?
There is a great line in the movie Steel Magnolias by Shirley MacLaine "I'm not crazy, M'Lynn, I've just been in a very bad mood for 40 years!" I've been in an every increasing bad mood for the last 30 years and today I may very well blow my top.
Fuck is an English-language word, a profanity which refers to the act of sexual intercourse and is also commonly used to denote disdain or as an intensifier. Its origin is obscure; it is usually considered to be first attested to around 1475, but may be considerably older. In modern usage, the term fuck and its derivatives (such as fucker and fucking) can be used in the position of a noun, a verb, an adjective or an adverb. There are many common phrases that employ the word, as well as compounds incorporating it, such as motherfucker.So I'm using it right now in place of the inability to provide another word suitable for the ever growing emotional pain being inflicted on the troops and families, including veterans, trained and sent by the Department of Defense to defeat the enemy time and time again. When are they going to get a fucking clue?
PowerPoint Commando / PowerPoint Ranger
A briefer notorious for producing overly complex briefs in PowerPoint that are too long and use too many effects, such as animations and sounds.
Suicides tied to military service among veterans are twice the civilian population. If that doesn't seem bad enough then consider they are only 7% of the population. Maybe that means something to you but when you consider there are more veterans no longer counted by the DOD as they hide behind the reduction in suicides, that should really be a huge slap in the face.
They say;
"Number of soldier-suicides down Bobeck said the Army National Guard had 120 suicides in 2013. There have been 44 this year, he said.
“That’s tragic that we’ve even had 44, but that’s a significant difference in number,” Bobeck said. “We’ve made a tremendous investment in our resiliency campaigns and our resiliency training. Can we tie that directly to that? We’re still looking at that, but we know we’ve had a significant reduction.” Yet, each soldier’s suicide “is still tragic,” said Bobeck, who noted the necessity of reducing the incidence of such tragedies “to zero.”
There are less serving to count in the first place because of sequestration and the cutbacks thanks to Congress. They came out with Battlemind and then CSF. Congress has funded billions a year yet what happened? What happened to all that money? Who got it? Was anyone held accountable for the money wasted as more and more lives were lost to suicides? No, the bullshit result is the DOD and the VA say they don't have a clue if any of it is working or not. Well here's the biggest clue of all. They filled more coffins than the Taliban, al-Qaeda, Iraq Republican Guard. When you add up the number of suicides in the military plus those of the discharged the number is higher but one more catch is the DOD doesn't have to count them after they are discharged including those discharged under bad papers leaving them with nothing but heartache.
If all that isn't bad enough, here comes yet on more crap load of results of what they have done.
Report: Some causes of suicide in military need more study
USA TODAY
Gregg Zoroya
September 22, 2014
While the military has poured more money into suicide research than any other sector of American society in recent years, certain targets in dire need of study remain under-funded, according to a RAND Corp. report released Monday.
Researchers sampled opinions of leading suicide experts within the military and on the RAND Corp. staff about the most important areas needing research. They found the those areas — improving ways of identifying those who are suicidal; and developing better methods for the ongoing care of those with self-destructive tendencies — receive little or moderate focus in either funding or number of studies.
"There is no apparent relationship between what is being funded and what (Defense) representatives perceive as important," RAND researchers concluded.
RAND researchers found that the largest sums of money and the greatest numbers of studies were devoted to finding better treatment methods and improving care, each ranked ninth and fifth, respectively, on a list of most important research areas.
read more here
UPDATE
Now add this to the above out of a report on the situation at Fort Hood
Inferior testing and evaluation procedures,
Lack of adequate funding for clinic services,
Senior mental health professionals forced into retirement by the Army,
Months-long wait times for soldiers seeking evaluation and treatment for psychological conditions,
Only one trained clinical neuropsychologist for more than 50,000 soldiers
Someone is waiting for you to come home
We all get it. A lot of veterans drink. Sometimes you drink too much. This is something to think about the next time that happens. Someone loves you and will be waiting for you to come home. Make sure you don't let your buddy down.
How the Army Fails Soldiers: Fort Hood Psych Crisis
FENCE-JUMPER: ANOTHER VICTIM OF 'PSYCH CRISIS' AT FORT HOOD?
'Omar is not some maniac. He's a veteran who needs help'
WND
Chelsea Schiliing
September 22, 2014
Only five months after a senior neuropsychologist in charge of Fort Hood’s outpatient psychiatry clinic revealed to WND a crisis in psychological testing and treatment at the U.S. Army post, a decorated war veteran who sought therapy at the installation is now in federal custody for jumping the White House fence and bursting through the executive mansion doors.
On Sept. 19, Omar J. Gonzalez, a 42-year-old Army veteran who had deployed to Iraq three times and was injured by a homemade bomb, jumped over the north fence, sprinted across the lawn and was stopped only after he entered the White House doors.
Gonzalez has suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and paranoia and was being treated at Fort Hood, Texas, for a time, according to his former stepson, Jerry S. Murphy.
A psychiatrist at Fort Hood prescribed Gonzalez medications, he said.
An unidentified family member told the Los Angeles Times Gonzalez said he had planned to go to a Veterans Administration hospital to seek treatment after his exit from the military in 2012. The person said Gonzalez had been taking antidepressants and anti-anxiety medication, but he was unsure if Gonzalez had stopped.
“Omar is not some maniac,” he said. “He’s a veteran who needs help.”
read more here
FORT HOOD POST MORTEM: CRISIS IN PSYCH TESTING
Top doctor warns, 'There's no way to keep up with the workload'
WND
Chelsea Schilling
April 13, 2014
The Army terminated its psychological testing contract at Fort Hood, Texas, only seven months before Spc. Ivan Lopez’s eight-minute shooting rampage that left Lopez and three other soldiers dead and 16 more wounded on April 2, WND has learned.
Instead, Fort Hood – one of the largest military installations in the world and the primary hub for deploying U.S. soldiers overseas – has been using free tests it finds on the Internet to evaluate soldiers’ psychological health and only employs a single neuropsychologist to treat up to 500 soldiers a month.
And while the post’s traumatic brain injury clinic has a brand-new hot tub in storage, it receives little money to test soldiers for psychological trauma.
The senior neuropsychologist in charge of Fort Hood’s outpatient psychiatry clinic – who resigned from his position only two months ago – tells WND the post has insufficient resources to treat soldiers seeking psychological help, including:
'Omar is not some maniac. He's a veteran who needs help'
WND
Chelsea Schiliing
September 22, 2014
Only five months after a senior neuropsychologist in charge of Fort Hood’s outpatient psychiatry clinic revealed to WND a crisis in psychological testing and treatment at the U.S. Army post, a decorated war veteran who sought therapy at the installation is now in federal custody for jumping the White House fence and bursting through the executive mansion doors.
On Sept. 19, Omar J. Gonzalez, a 42-year-old Army veteran who had deployed to Iraq three times and was injured by a homemade bomb, jumped over the north fence, sprinted across the lawn and was stopped only after he entered the White House doors.
Gonzalez has suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and paranoia and was being treated at Fort Hood, Texas, for a time, according to his former stepson, Jerry S. Murphy.
A psychiatrist at Fort Hood prescribed Gonzalez medications, he said.
An unidentified family member told the Los Angeles Times Gonzalez said he had planned to go to a Veterans Administration hospital to seek treatment after his exit from the military in 2012. The person said Gonzalez had been taking antidepressants and anti-anxiety medication, but he was unsure if Gonzalez had stopped.
“Omar is not some maniac,” he said. “He’s a veteran who needs help.”
read more here
FORT HOOD POST MORTEM: CRISIS IN PSYCH TESTING
Top doctor warns, 'There's no way to keep up with the workload'
WND
Chelsea Schilling
April 13, 2014
Soldiers assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division's Company F, 3rd Assault Helicopter Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Travis Zielinski)
The Army terminated its psychological testing contract at Fort Hood, Texas, only seven months before Spc. Ivan Lopez’s eight-minute shooting rampage that left Lopez and three other soldiers dead and 16 more wounded on April 2, WND has learned.
Instead, Fort Hood – one of the largest military installations in the world and the primary hub for deploying U.S. soldiers overseas – has been using free tests it finds on the Internet to evaluate soldiers’ psychological health and only employs a single neuropsychologist to treat up to 500 soldiers a month.
And while the post’s traumatic brain injury clinic has a brand-new hot tub in storage, it receives little money to test soldiers for psychological trauma.
The senior neuropsychologist in charge of Fort Hood’s outpatient psychiatry clinic – who resigned from his position only two months ago – tells WND the post has insufficient resources to treat soldiers seeking psychological help, including:
Inferior testing and evaluation procedures,
Lack of adequate funding for clinic services,
Senior mental health professionals forced into retirement by the Army,
Months-long wait times for soldiers seeking evaluation and treatment for psychological conditions,
Only one trained clinical neuropsychologist for more than 50,000 soldiers
read more of this here
Wounded Marine Lived for Love
Real Alabama Weddings: Marine severely wounded in Afghanistan marries the woman who helped him hold on
Real Alabama
Alex McDaniel
September 22, 2014
Days after a surprise Taliban attack in Afghanistan left Kendall Bane wrecked, war-torn and with a coin-flip's chance of survival, he woke up in a hospital room in Germany asking about his pictures.
They were of his girlfriend, Jessica Stender -- a small handful of laminated squares to remind him of the girl he knew he'd marry, the girl back in Alabama waiting for him to come home. And they were tucked away in a small pocket on his uniform Sept. 20, 2012, when a disguised Taliban operative armed with an AK-47 approached the base where the 19-year-old Marine was standing post and opened fire.
Bane doesn't remember much after that. Bullets had torn through his abdomen and both legs, leaving him severely wounded and losing blood fast. Lying on the ground, he slipped in and out of consciousness as medics moved quickly to save his life.
He remembers shock. Disbelief. Chaos.
Grappling with the reality that someone had tried to kill him.
Fighting like hell to get to those pictures.
It wasn't the first time he fought for Jessica Stender. And it wouldn't be the last.
read more here
Real Alabama
Alex McDaniel
September 22, 2014
Jessica Stender and Kendall Bane celebrate their wedding at the Huntsville Veterans Memorial Saturday, Sept. 20, 2014 in Huntsville, Ala. The reception followed at Good Shepherd Catholic Church.
(Eric Schultz)
Bane said his motivation was hinged upon the future, what he wanted his life to be, and more importantly, who he wanted to spend it with.
Days after a surprise Taliban attack in Afghanistan left Kendall Bane wrecked, war-torn and with a coin-flip's chance of survival, he woke up in a hospital room in Germany asking about his pictures.
They were of his girlfriend, Jessica Stender -- a small handful of laminated squares to remind him of the girl he knew he'd marry, the girl back in Alabama waiting for him to come home. And they were tucked away in a small pocket on his uniform Sept. 20, 2012, when a disguised Taliban operative armed with an AK-47 approached the base where the 19-year-old Marine was standing post and opened fire.
Bane doesn't remember much after that. Bullets had torn through his abdomen and both legs, leaving him severely wounded and losing blood fast. Lying on the ground, he slipped in and out of consciousness as medics moved quickly to save his life.
He remembers shock. Disbelief. Chaos.
Grappling with the reality that someone had tried to kill him.
Fighting like hell to get to those pictures.
It wasn't the first time he fought for Jessica Stender. And it wouldn't be the last.
read more here
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