Strangers Hold Memorial, Pay For Veteran’s Burial
CBS News
Budd Gilett
November 19, 2014
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Complete strangers gathered to say good-bye Wednesday at a touching memorial in Dallas for a veteran who left no known relatives.
Those in attendance were moved to pay for a burial service including full military honors. They were mostly Patriot Guards and nurses from Methodist Richardson Medical Center who gathered at the DFW National Cemetery to bury a man who never uttered a word to any of them. A man with no known family; adopted in death.
“We’re a family,” said Mark Littell, Ride Captain of the Patriot Guard, referring to the military and the caregivers. “The nurses in the hospital talked about being part of Mr. Davenport’s family because his family wasn’t there. And we feel the same way.”
The Mr. Davenport he spoke of was Air Force Sergeant Robert Earn Davenport. A 68-year-old Vietnam veteran sent unconscious to the hospital from a nursing home… who spent his last hours fighting cancer, unaware of the new care surrounding him.
read more here
Thursday, November 20, 2014
Vietnam Veteran Committed Suicide After Clinics Failed Him
Report Finds VA Clinics ‘Missed Opportunities’ To Prevent Vietnam Vet’s Suicide
Daily Caller
Tristyn Bloom
11/19/2014
A newly released government investigation has found that three Veterans Affairs health clinics “missed opportunities” to prevent a Vietnam veteran’s suicide, with failures ranging from “communication breakdowns” to completely ignoring his “multiple suicide risk factors.”
The unnamed sixty-something patient, who had previously attempted suicide in 1989, shot himself in the head in 2013. He’d been receiving treatment for chronic shoulder, neck and back pain; osteoarthritis, degenerative discs in his lower back, low bone density and a variety of nerve conditions exacerbating pain and weakness in his neck and back, and had had cervical spine surgery in the fall of 2012.
The patient bounced around from clinic to clinic beginning in 2011, when the VA reassigned him from his usual primary care clinic to one nearer his home. A year later he requested another transfer, and another six months after that.
read more here
Daily Caller
Tristyn Bloom
11/19/2014
A newly released government investigation has found that three Veterans Affairs health clinics “missed opportunities” to prevent a Vietnam veteran’s suicide, with failures ranging from “communication breakdowns” to completely ignoring his “multiple suicide risk factors.”
The unnamed sixty-something patient, who had previously attempted suicide in 1989, shot himself in the head in 2013. He’d been receiving treatment for chronic shoulder, neck and back pain; osteoarthritis, degenerative discs in his lower back, low bone density and a variety of nerve conditions exacerbating pain and weakness in his neck and back, and had had cervical spine surgery in the fall of 2012.
The patient bounced around from clinic to clinic beginning in 2011, when the VA reassigned him from his usual primary care clinic to one nearer his home. A year later he requested another transfer, and another six months after that.
read more here
Lawsuit Filed Against Police: Shooting of Iraq Veteran Jason White
Veteran's Tragic Death Prompts Lawsuit in Ohio
Courthouse News
By KYLE ANNE UNISS
November 20, 2014
COLUMBUS, Ohio (CN) - Police shot and killed a disoriented Iraq veteran who briefly mistook a neighboring apartment for his own, a federal complaint alleges.
The tragic altercation occurred at 6 a.m. on Nov. 17, 2013, according to the complaint filed Monday.
Though Jason White, 31, lived in an apartment complex at 5420 Tretorn Drive, Hilliard, Ohio, a tenant from the "nearly identical" 5425 Tretorn allegedly called the Columbus police that morning because White had entered her apartment through an unlocked door.
Patti Stevens-Rucker, the administrator of White's estate, says this woman reported "that a man entered her apartment but did not make any threats."
"She reported that his speech was incoherent, he appeared to be in a daze, and he appeared to be mentally ill," the complaint continues.
White had allegedly left the apartment building by the time Patrol Officer Don Alderman located him.
read more here
Report from last year.
Family Feels Officers Did Not Have To Shoot, Kill Knife-Wielding Man
Courthouse News
By KYLE ANNE UNISS
November 20, 2014
COLUMBUS, Ohio (CN) - Police shot and killed a disoriented Iraq veteran who briefly mistook a neighboring apartment for his own, a federal complaint alleges.
The tragic altercation occurred at 6 a.m. on Nov. 17, 2013, according to the complaint filed Monday.
Though Jason White, 31, lived in an apartment complex at 5420 Tretorn Drive, Hilliard, Ohio, a tenant from the "nearly identical" 5425 Tretorn allegedly called the Columbus police that morning because White had entered her apartment through an unlocked door.
Patti Stevens-Rucker, the administrator of White's estate, says this woman reported "that a man entered her apartment but did not make any threats."
"She reported that his speech was incoherent, he appeared to be in a daze, and he appeared to be mentally ill," the complaint continues.
White had allegedly left the apartment building by the time Patrol Officer Don Alderman located him.
read more here
Report from last year.
Family Feels Officers Did Not Have To Shoot, Kill Knife-Wielding Man
Wish Booth: A Wish For A Marine,,,,Prayers Answered With Love
Local Military Family Has Wish Come True on Meredith Show
NBC
By Laura McVicker
November 19, 2014
Counselor Kathi Bradshaw walked into a wish booth in San Diego and wished for financial help for a local military family.
On Wednesday that wish was granted on the Meredith Vieira Show. The talk show host introduced the counselor -- who works with Support the Enlisted Project, which provides financial and transitional assistance to military members – to the family who received the financial gift.
Billy and Gina Boulton, who were once in debt, were given $20,000 from company Ball Park Franks as well as a year’s supply of Ball Park products.
In addition, another company, Box.com, gave the San Diego family $10,000.
read more here
Wish Booth: A Wish For A Marine
The Meredith Vieira Show
NBC
By Laura McVicker
November 19, 2014
Counselor Kathi Bradshaw walked into a wish booth in San Diego and wished for financial help for a local military family.
On Wednesday that wish was granted on the Meredith Vieira Show. The talk show host introduced the counselor -- who works with Support the Enlisted Project, which provides financial and transitional assistance to military members – to the family who received the financial gift.
Billy and Gina Boulton, who were once in debt, were given $20,000 from company Ball Park Franks as well as a year’s supply of Ball Park products.
In addition, another company, Box.com, gave the San Diego family $10,000.
read more here
Wish Booth: A Wish For A Marine
The Meredith Vieira Show
PTSD Veterans Use Yoga To Learn To Calm Down Again
Veteran helps other vets through yoga therapy
KRDO News
Emily Allen
Multimedia Journalist
Target 13 Investigator
POSTED: Nov 19, 2014
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.
Students gathered Wednesday for a yoga class aimed at helping veterans and others cope with mental illnesses like post-traumatic stress disorder.
The class is offered at Hot On Yoga and taught by a veteran, Jason Smiley. When Smiley got his teaching certificate for yoga, he wasn't thrilled about the idea of teaching people who were solely focused on the physical aspect of the practice. He looked into therapeutic yoga and found a national program called Yoga For Veterans.
"Everyone can use yoga, that's for sure, but there are so many veterans and their families that are in need of this kind of help at this point in time," said Smiley.
Smiley collaborated with Hot On Yoga studio owner Mike Gumucio to create a class called "Mindful Resilience" focused on mental healing.
Smiley joined the Army right after high school and feels that being a veteran helps him connect with other veterans during yoga.
"I feel like it's very easy for vets to connect with other vets and that's part of the reason I want to be teaching these classes," said Smiley.
Teaching the program has also benefited Smiley.
"I have some of the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder so I feel like this class really helped me and I believe that it has the capacity to help other people in the same way," said Smiley.
read more here
KRDO News
Emily Allen
Multimedia Journalist
Target 13 Investigator
POSTED: Nov 19, 2014
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.
Students gathered Wednesday for a yoga class aimed at helping veterans and others cope with mental illnesses like post-traumatic stress disorder.
The class is offered at Hot On Yoga and taught by a veteran, Jason Smiley. When Smiley got his teaching certificate for yoga, he wasn't thrilled about the idea of teaching people who were solely focused on the physical aspect of the practice. He looked into therapeutic yoga and found a national program called Yoga For Veterans.
"Everyone can use yoga, that's for sure, but there are so many veterans and their families that are in need of this kind of help at this point in time," said Smiley.
Smiley collaborated with Hot On Yoga studio owner Mike Gumucio to create a class called "Mindful Resilience" focused on mental healing.
Smiley joined the Army right after high school and feels that being a veteran helps him connect with other veterans during yoga.
"I feel like it's very easy for vets to connect with other vets and that's part of the reason I want to be teaching these classes," said Smiley.
Teaching the program has also benefited Smiley.
"I have some of the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder so I feel like this class really helped me and I believe that it has the capacity to help other people in the same way," said Smiley.
read more here
Veterans Court Success, 83% Don't Reoffend
County veterans’ court unveiled: 2nd chance for heroes
Livingston Daily
Lisa Roose-Church
November 19, 2014
A veteran’s mindset is that two kinds of people exist in the world: Enemy combatants and comrades in arms, and if they don’t know whom to trust, they trust no one, a local veteran said.
Veterans are trained to be a “self-sustaining, force of one”, and then when they come home after combat, the military doesn’t tell them “we lied, you need help,” said Bryan Bradford, a disabled veteran of the U.S. Army military police, serving in the Pacific Rim.
“That’s what we’re here for,” said Bradford, who is one of the 10 veterans volunteering to mentor men and women who come through Livingston County’s new Veterans’ Treatment Court. “It’s a second chance.
“It’s an opportunity for them to have a mentor who is a veteran to help show them the ropes. These kids come home and they are top-field dragsters and they’re adrenaline junkies, and they just don’t know how to turn it off,” he added. “They need and deserve a little special treatment because they’ve done things most people can’t fathom.”
District Judge Carol Sue Reader, who will preside over the court, unveiled the new effort at a meet-and-greet presentation Wednesday at the Livingston County Judicial Center on Highlander Way in Howell.
The court is based on a team concept involving Reader, a probation officer, a defense advocate and representatives from the prosecutor’s office and treatment providers, including the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and regional veterans’ centers. It also received support from Brighton-area attorney Neal Nielsen.
Reader told the audience that Veterans’ Treatment Court is a non-adversarial, post-sentencing program that works toward returning military veterans to a productive and law-abiding status in society.
Livingston Daily
Lisa Roose-Church
November 19, 2014
“In Michigan, 83 percent of the people who have gone through veterans’ court don’t reoffend; it works,” Reader said.
Carl Pardon salutes at the unveiling of the county’s new Veterans’ Treatment Court on Wednesday at the Livingston County Judicial Center in Howell.
(Photo: Lisa Roose-Church/Daily Press and Argus)
A veteran’s mindset is that two kinds of people exist in the world: Enemy combatants and comrades in arms, and if they don’t know whom to trust, they trust no one, a local veteran said.
Veterans are trained to be a “self-sustaining, force of one”, and then when they come home after combat, the military doesn’t tell them “we lied, you need help,” said Bryan Bradford, a disabled veteran of the U.S. Army military police, serving in the Pacific Rim.
“That’s what we’re here for,” said Bradford, who is one of the 10 veterans volunteering to mentor men and women who come through Livingston County’s new Veterans’ Treatment Court. “It’s a second chance.
“It’s an opportunity for them to have a mentor who is a veteran to help show them the ropes. These kids come home and they are top-field dragsters and they’re adrenaline junkies, and they just don’t know how to turn it off,” he added. “They need and deserve a little special treatment because they’ve done things most people can’t fathom.”
District Judge Carol Sue Reader, who will preside over the court, unveiled the new effort at a meet-and-greet presentation Wednesday at the Livingston County Judicial Center on Highlander Way in Howell.
The court is based on a team concept involving Reader, a probation officer, a defense advocate and representatives from the prosecutor’s office and treatment providers, including the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and regional veterans’ centers. It also received support from Brighton-area attorney Neal Nielsen.
Reader told the audience that Veterans’ Treatment Court is a non-adversarial, post-sentencing program that works toward returning military veterans to a productive and law-abiding status in society.
“Those who serve us to preserve our freedom, they have a price they pay,” the judge said. “There’s no normal. We want to prevent that. We can’t do anything about what happened in the past, but we can start today to make it better in the future.”
Veterans, like Bradford, praised the court’s creation of the Veterans’ Treatment Court.
Bradford said 22 veterans a day commit suicide and their No. 1 question is: Why was I spared? He said the general public doesn’t seem to know that “post-traumatic stress disorder is contagious,” affecting the whole family. As an example, he shared the story of a couple he is helping. The wife commented that she was going to tell her husband that if he doesn’t straighten up, she would divorce him.
read more here
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
Religious liberty advocates painted widely divergent pictures
13 minutes ago
Advocates paint differing pictures of the state of religion in the military
Stars and Stripes
By Chris Carroll
Published: November 19, 2014
WASHINGTON — Religious liberty advocates painted widely divergent pictures of the state of faith in the U.S. military for House legislators Wednesday, with some claiming rampant proselytization and others complaining that believers are punished for expressing their faith.
The purpose of the hearing by the House Armed Services personnel subcommittee was to examine the effects of recent changes to federal law and Defense Department policies governing religious expression in the military.
The 2013 National Defense Authorization Act directed the Department of Defense to accommodate religious expression as much as possible without damaging the military, and exempted chaplains from performing religious duties they believe violate their faith. DOD followed up in January with a policy that critics and supporters alike say loosens the reins on religious expression.
Among other affects, policy change eases the way for members of religious minorities who believe their faiths require beards, turbans other types of traditional grooming or dress to receive official accommodation for not meeting uniform regulations.
But retired Navy chaplain Rabbi Bruce Kahn told legislators that the new policy may also open a door for those inclined to relentlessly try to bring others to their faiths.
“Where you have individuals who believe they’re on a mission to bring others to their point of view … then you have cracks in unit cohesion and you have real problems with maintaining readiness and being prepared to go to war,” Kahn said.
read more here
Advocates paint differing pictures of the state of religion in the military
Stars and Stripes
By Chris Carroll
Published: November 19, 2014
WASHINGTON — Religious liberty advocates painted widely divergent pictures of the state of faith in the U.S. military for House legislators Wednesday, with some claiming rampant proselytization and others complaining that believers are punished for expressing their faith.
The purpose of the hearing by the House Armed Services personnel subcommittee was to examine the effects of recent changes to federal law and Defense Department policies governing religious expression in the military.
The 2013 National Defense Authorization Act directed the Department of Defense to accommodate religious expression as much as possible without damaging the military, and exempted chaplains from performing religious duties they believe violate their faith. DOD followed up in January with a policy that critics and supporters alike say loosens the reins on religious expression.
Among other affects, policy change eases the way for members of religious minorities who believe their faiths require beards, turbans other types of traditional grooming or dress to receive official accommodation for not meeting uniform regulations.
But retired Navy chaplain Rabbi Bruce Kahn told legislators that the new policy may also open a door for those inclined to relentlessly try to bring others to their faiths.
“Where you have individuals who believe they’re on a mission to bring others to their point of view … then you have cracks in unit cohesion and you have real problems with maintaining readiness and being prepared to go to war,” Kahn said.
read more here
Retired U.S. Army Gen. David Petraeus Praising Hiring Veterans
David Petraeus: Veterans are 'precious resources'
The Tennessean
Adam Tamburin
November 18, 2014
Retired U.S. Army Gen. David Petraeus was in Nashville on Tuesday to encourage local businesses to hire veterans, who he said were among "our nation's most precious resources."
Speaking before a job fair for veterans and their spouses, Petraeus, who also served as CIA director, said a military pedigree made veterans an enviable hire. In particular, Petraeus praised the 2.5 million veterans who have served in the Middle East since 9/11, whom he called "the new Greatest Generation."
Petraeus oversaw military action in Iraq and Afghanistan for years after 9/11. He also commanded the 101st Airborne at Fort Campbell from July 2002 to May 2004.
"If companies are looking for individuals who have leadership experience, who exemplify selfless service, who understand the importance of teamwork and who know what it takes to achieve results under tough conditions, then American veterans are what those companies need," he said. "Their sense of duty, their courage, their loyalty and their professional experience have not departed when they've taken off that uniform for the last time."
Retired Command Sgt. Maj. Marvin L. Hill, who served at Fort Campbell and in combat alongside Petraeus, acknowledged that some returning veterans face a litany of challenges, including post-traumatic stress disorder. But he stressed that those challenges shouldn't be seen as career enders.
read more here
The Tennessean
Adam Tamburin
November 18, 2014
Retired U.S. Army Gen. David Petraeus attends the “Vets@Work” job fair Tuesday in the Music City Center. Petraeus a military pedigree made veterans an enviable hire.
(Photo: Samuel M. Simpkins / The Tennessean )
Retired U.S. Army Gen. David Petraeus was in Nashville on Tuesday to encourage local businesses to hire veterans, who he said were among "our nation's most precious resources."
Speaking before a job fair for veterans and their spouses, Petraeus, who also served as CIA director, said a military pedigree made veterans an enviable hire. In particular, Petraeus praised the 2.5 million veterans who have served in the Middle East since 9/11, whom he called "the new Greatest Generation."
Petraeus oversaw military action in Iraq and Afghanistan for years after 9/11. He also commanded the 101st Airborne at Fort Campbell from July 2002 to May 2004.
"If companies are looking for individuals who have leadership experience, who exemplify selfless service, who understand the importance of teamwork and who know what it takes to achieve results under tough conditions, then American veterans are what those companies need," he said. "Their sense of duty, their courage, their loyalty and their professional experience have not departed when they've taken off that uniform for the last time."
Retired Command Sgt. Maj. Marvin L. Hill, who served at Fort Campbell and in combat alongside Petraeus, acknowledged that some returning veterans face a litany of challenges, including post-traumatic stress disorder. But he stressed that those challenges shouldn't be seen as career enders.
read more here
Body of Soldier's Wife Found in Honolulu
Local soldier's wife was stabbed in neck, torso
By Star-Advertiser staff
Nov 17, 2014
An Army wife whose body was found at Aliamanu Military Reservation over the weekend was stabbed in the neck and torso, the Honolulu Medical Examiner's Office said Tuesday.
The ME's office identified the woman as Catherine Walker, 38. The manner of death was ruled homicide. Autopsy results are pending.
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By Star-Advertiser staff
Nov 17, 2014
An Army wife whose body was found at Aliamanu Military Reservation over the weekend was stabbed in the neck and torso, the Honolulu Medical Examiner's Office said Tuesday.
The ME's office identified the woman as Catherine Walker, 38. The manner of death was ruled homicide. Autopsy results are pending.
read more here
Vietnam Veteran with PTSD Missing in Los Angeles
Public’s Help Sought In Locating Missing 66-Year-Old Man With PTSD
CBS News
November 18, 2014
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Authorities Tuesday asked for the public’s help in locating a missing 66-year-old Vietnam veteran.
Cecil Tyrone Whitson was last seen around 5:30 p.m. on Nov. 14 at 8th Street and Union Avenue in the city of Los Angeles.
Whitson, who was described as a Black man with brown/grey hair and brown eyes, has Dementia, diabetes, and PTSD, according to the LAPD.
Whitson is roughly 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighs 170 pounds.
Anyone with information as to Whitson’s whereabouts was asked to call (213) 996-1800 or (877) 527-3247 during non-business hours or on weekends.
check here for updates
CBS News
November 18, 2014
Cecil Tyrone Whitson was last seen around 5:30 p.m. on Nov. 14 at 8th Street and Union Avenue in the city of Los Angeles.
Whitson, who was described as a Black man with brown/grey hair and brown eyes, has Dementia, diabetes, and PTSD, according to the LAPD.
Whitson is roughly 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighs 170 pounds.
Anyone with information as to Whitson’s whereabouts was asked to call (213) 996-1800 or (877) 527-3247 during non-business hours or on weekends.
check here for updates
House VA Committee May Block Veteran Ranking Seat?
UPDATE
Walz Abandons Bid for Top Veterans' Affairs Panel Slot
Walz Abandons Bid for Top Veterans' Affairs Panel Slot
Time to get politics out of anything having to do with veterans. Why? Because when they were risking their lives, the only thing that mattered was each other. That is the way the elected officials responsible for ensuring they get what they need after service fix what is broken.
To put a veteran out of a seat at the table is plain wrong. This is a time when veterans need to be able to be the voices for other veterans. This isn't just any other committee. This is about our veterans!
Dem leadership fight frustrates veterans advocates
Marine Corps Times
By Leo Shane III
Staff Writer
November 19, 2014
Democratic leaders on Wednesday will vote to sideline the only Iraq War-era veteran on the House Veterans' Affairs Committee and stave off an internal power struggle, a move that has infuriated some veterans advocates.
Rep. Tim Walz, D-Minn., announced last week his plans to seek the ranking member seat on the committee, following the retirement of current ranking member Rep. Mike Michaud, D-Maine. Walz is a retired command sergeant major in the Army National Guard, the highest ranking enlisted soldier to ever serve in Congress.
But congressional seniority rules put Rep. Corrine Brown, D-Fla., in line for that post, and Walz's move has touched off behind-the-scenes fights over who will be a more credible minority party voice on the committee in the coming session.
Brown and members of the Congressional Black Caucus have bristled over suggestions that the 10-term congresswoman could be passed over for the ranking member post. But Michaud and several veterans groups have publicly backed Walz, citing his military knowledge and role as the committee's most experienced veteran.
Late Tuesday, members of the House Democratic Steering Committee moved up a vote on the issue to Wednesday morning, congressional staffers confirmed.
read more here
What is the magic number for one too many suicides?
How many more Bills does Congress need to write before they actually understand they don't have a clue? How many more lives have to be lost while they just keep repeating the same mistakes over and over again? When will there actually come a number when that suicide was actually too many for them and they stop long enough to understand what they are doing to the troops and veterans?
DoD, VA suicide prevention efforts on Capitol Hill
Military Times
By Patricia Kime
Staff writer
November 18, 2014
A bipartisan group of senators introduced legislation Monday designed to improve access to mental health services for troops and veterans and strengthen the Defense and Veterans Affairs departments' suicide prevention efforts.
The Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention bill would require the Pentagon and VA to submit to an independent review of their suicide prevention programs.
It also would establish a website to provide consolidated information on mental health services available to veterans and seeks to improve VA's recruitment efforts for quality psychiatrists by establishing a student loan reimbursement program for doctors who sign on to work for VA for a number of years.
Clay Hunt was a former Marine who died in 2011 by suicide after having actively sought treatment for combat-related depression and post-traumatic stress disorder. Before his death, Hunt performed humanitarian work in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake and was a key member of a group of former military personnel who formed the disaster relief organization Team Rubicon.
Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz.; Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.; Richard Burr, R-N.C.; Roy Blunt, R-Mo.; Lisa Murkowski, R-Ark.; and Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., co-sponsored the bill to provide "additional resources for veterans who suffer from mental health disorders that place them on higher risk of suicide," according to a release
read more here
Veteran in Miami Survived Standoff with SWAT Team
Army veteran barricades himself inside Miami Beach condo, threatens to commit suicide
Local 10 News
Published On: Nov 18 2014
Man taken into custody after barricading himself inside Miami Beach condo
Police, SWAT team called to Cosmopolitan building after Army veteran threatens to commit suicide
Author: Amanda Batchelor, Senior Digital Editor
Michael Seiden, Reporter
Published On: Nov 18 2014
MIAMI BEACH, Fla.
A man was taken into custody without incident Tuesday morning after barricading himself inside his home, police said.
Miami Beach police and its SWAT team were called to a condominium unit at the Cosmopolitan on Washington Avenue near First Street on Tuesday morning after reports of a disturbance between a man and his grandmother.
According to police, the grandmother left while her grandson barricaded himself inside the home.
read more here
Local 10 News
Published On: Nov 18 2014
Miami Beach police and its SWAT team were called to a condominium unit at the Cosmopolitan on Washington Avenue near First Street Tuesday morning, after reports of a disturbance between a man and his grandmother.
Man taken into custody after barricading himself inside Miami Beach condo
Police, SWAT team called to Cosmopolitan building after Army veteran threatens to commit suicide
Author: Amanda Batchelor, Senior Digital Editor
Michael Seiden, Reporter
Published On: Nov 18 2014
MIAMI BEACH, Fla.
A man was taken into custody without incident Tuesday morning after barricading himself inside his home, police said.
Miami Beach police and its SWAT team were called to a condominium unit at the Cosmopolitan on Washington Avenue near First Street on Tuesday morning after reports of a disturbance between a man and his grandmother.
According to police, the grandmother left while her grandson barricaded himself inside the home.
read more here
PTSD Army Veteran's Standoff Puts DOD on Trial in Oklahoma
There is a veteran facing charges after a hostage standoff. He was in the Army for 10 years and came home with PTSD. His family tried to get help for him and they grieve for the way things turned out. When he stands trial, the DOD yet again goes on trial for failing another soldier. #Powerpointcommandoes think they are doing something other than boring the hell out of the troops?
This is why we are seeing so many coming home and not getting the help they need to heal. They didn't get it while they were still in to begin with.
Army Vet: Protocol On Soldiers' Mental Health A Factor In Norman Standoff
NEWS 9
BY JUSTIN DOUGHERTY
Nov 18, 2014
CLEVELAND COUNTY, Oklahoma - The suspect in the Norman hostage standoff, Devin Rogers, is accused of holding three people hostage for over four hours. But we now know Rogers is also a 10-year Army veteran who has been diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD); a mental health issue the Army calls an important factor in the case.
Rogers' family and friends have repeatedly told News 9 he hasn't received the help he needs. So we contacted the Army for a list of mental health services. However, one veteran News 9 spoke to called that list a joke.
"If you become a big problem we'll just let you miss a few things, count you AWOL and kick you out of the Army," said retired Army Sgt. Dave Davis.
An improvised explosive device (IED) has Davis physically confined to a wheelchair. But it's what he considers the Army's "lack of personal relationship" with its soldiers that has Davis frustrated.
"You can't throw money at a problem and expect it to go anyway," said Davis.
Davis served for 19 years and retired in October. In addition to his physical ailments, Davis has also been diagnosed with PTSD, TBI, or traumatic brain injury, and other mental health issues.
read more here
New Details Surrounding Norman Hostage Suspect's Defense
NEWS 9
BY JOLEEN CHANEY
Nov 14, 2014
CLEVELAND COUNTY, Oklahoma - The man who held three people hostage this week inside a Norman office building is being held without bond. His post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) took center stage in his defense. Friday afternoon Devin Rogers went before a judge for the criminal side of his behavior, but because of his mental condition, four attorneys have volunteered to represent him free of charge.
“As a group I think we decided to do it, because the story is just so heartbreaking,” attorney David Smith said.
For the innocent people involved as well as the guilty, but in no way does Devin Rogers' PTSD diagnosis mean he is off the hook for what he did.
“This is absolutely a cry for help, and that's what you heard from Jennifer who was in the room with him,” attorney Sam Talley said.
read more here
This is why we are seeing so many coming home and not getting the help they need to heal. They didn't get it while they were still in to begin with.
Army Vet: Protocol On Soldiers' Mental Health A Factor In Norman Standoff
NEWS 9
BY JUSTIN DOUGHERTY
Nov 18, 2014
The Army also stated it's focused on, "Placement of (behavioral health) providers within Patient Centered Medical Homes, and a network of Embedded Behavioral Health clinics."
Davis just considers those outlets lengthy PowerPoint presentations.
"As a soldier, I can tell you 99% of them classes turn into a big joke," said Davis.
CLEVELAND COUNTY, Oklahoma - The suspect in the Norman hostage standoff, Devin Rogers, is accused of holding three people hostage for over four hours. But we now know Rogers is also a 10-year Army veteran who has been diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD); a mental health issue the Army calls an important factor in the case.
Rogers' family and friends have repeatedly told News 9 he hasn't received the help he needs. So we contacted the Army for a list of mental health services. However, one veteran News 9 spoke to called that list a joke.
"If you become a big problem we'll just let you miss a few things, count you AWOL and kick you out of the Army," said retired Army Sgt. Dave Davis.
An improvised explosive device (IED) has Davis physically confined to a wheelchair. But it's what he considers the Army's "lack of personal relationship" with its soldiers that has Davis frustrated.
"You can't throw money at a problem and expect it to go anyway," said Davis.
Davis served for 19 years and retired in October. In addition to his physical ailments, Davis has also been diagnosed with PTSD, TBI, or traumatic brain injury, and other mental health issues.
read more here
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
Experts Still Fail to Address What Works to Heal PTSD
So far, there doesn't seem much in terms of "helping" veterans. There is far too much talk of what goes wrong and too little of what goes right. They call it "managing" but they should be talking about healing and finding peace to live with a very huge part of your life. It can be done. It has been done. It happens a lot more than the tragic outcomes do.
They need to start addressing the reason PTSD picked on you. You were just able to feel things more strongly than others. Plus toss in the fact that you were probably the first one to help someone or the one they always turned to. In that case, it is pretty damn hard asking for help. If you are thinking you shouldn't need help, then think of the people you helped. Do you think less of them because they needed you? Then why think less of yourself if you need help from them?
Being stronger also means you have very strong emotions but those same emotions making you grieve come from the same place where you were able to be courageous. It is all still in there. You just need help getting stuff reconnected again.
Remember why you joined the military in the first place. Then remember the reason you were willing to lay down your own life if it came to it. That all came from love for those you served with. That love is stronger than any other type of love because it is never about yourself. It is always about others.
The trick is, finding a way to put yourself first while you heal so you can turn around and then help someone else.
At Dickinson, experts discuss helping veterans manage PTSD
The Sentinel
By Samantha Madison
November 18, 2014
CARLISLE — There are explosions everywhere — suicide bombers blowing up restaurants and markets, people being killed left and right.
You recognize the safest areas versus the ones that are dangerous, to sit in the right place when out in the open. You know how to cope, to work on as little sleep as humanly possible for fear of being next. You are never truly relaxed or safe, and that becomes your way of life.
Then, all of a sudden, you’re back in the safety of the United States, and family, friends and society expect that you’ll ease back into the swing of things as if you weren’t just in a country where people were constantly trying to kill you and your comrades.
“When you come home, the part of your brain that kicks off the panic button doesn’t know you’re home,” said David Wood, senior military correspondent for The Huffington Post. “The way I understand it, the way I’ve thought about it and the way guys have explained to me is, when that happens, you’ve got to burn off energy, so people get angry, they punch walls; they’ve got to burn off all of that adrenaline.”
Wood, who spoke on a post-traumatic stress disorder panel at Dickinson College on Veterans Day, has spent a large portion of his career covering a variety of military and national security issues in countries such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia, Soviet Russia, Cold War Germany and Somalia.
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They need to start addressing the reason PTSD picked on you. You were just able to feel things more strongly than others. Plus toss in the fact that you were probably the first one to help someone or the one they always turned to. In that case, it is pretty damn hard asking for help. If you are thinking you shouldn't need help, then think of the people you helped. Do you think less of them because they needed you? Then why think less of yourself if you need help from them?
Being stronger also means you have very strong emotions but those same emotions making you grieve come from the same place where you were able to be courageous. It is all still in there. You just need help getting stuff reconnected again.
Remember why you joined the military in the first place. Then remember the reason you were willing to lay down your own life if it came to it. That all came from love for those you served with. That love is stronger than any other type of love because it is never about yourself. It is always about others.
The trick is, finding a way to put yourself first while you heal so you can turn around and then help someone else.
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