Where do homeless veterans come from?

Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
January 3, 2015

Patricia Driscoll, president of the Armed Forces Foundation and CEO of Frontline Defense Systems, wrote "Put veterans back in their homes" January 2, 2015 on the Courier Journal. It was this part of the article that made me gag.

"One major sample released by the American Psychological Association estimates that two-thirds of homeless Iraq and Afghanistan veterans suffer from PTSD."

Two thirds of OEF-OIF homeless veterans have PTSD. That means they didn't get the help they needed when they got out of the military. It also means they didn't get what they needed while in the military either.

Epiphany

3. a sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the reality or essential meaning of something, usually initiated by some simple, homely, or commonplace occurrence or experience.
4. a literary work or section of a work presenting, usually symbolically, such a moment of revelation and insight.

My epiphany came in 2009 when I read about Comprehensive Soldier Fitness repeating the same failed attempts Battlemind tried to do. Comprehensive Soldier Fitness will make it worse May 29, 2009

"If you promote this program the way Battlemind was promoted, count on the numbers of suicides and attempted suicides to go up instead of down. It's just one more deadly mistake after another and just as dangerous as sending them into Iraq without the armor needed to protect them."

Comprehensive Soldier Fitness was designed as a research project but the military bought into it and pushed it without even knowing if it would work or not. When it failed, they continued to push it no matter how deadly the results were.

Comprehensive Soldier Fitness, American Psychologist Martin E. P. Seligman, PhD, and Michael D. Matthews and was approved by the American Psychological Association.

Dark Side of Comprehensive Soldier Fitness
Mandatory "resilience training" program for all U.S. soldiers raises concerns.
by Roy Eidelson, Ph.D. in Dangerous Ideas
Published on March 25, 2011

Why is the world's largest organization of psychologists so aggressively promoting a new, massive, and untested military program? The APA's enthusiasm for mandatory "resilience training" for all U.S. soldiers is troubling on many counts.

The January 2011 issue of the American Psychologist, the American Psychological Association's (APA) flagship journal, is devoted entirely to 13 articles that detail and celebrate the virtues of a new U.S. Army-APA collaboration.

Built around positive psychology and with key contributions from former APA president Martin Seligman and his colleagues, Comprehensive Soldier Fitness (CSF) is a $125 million resilience training initiative designed to reduce and prevent the adverse psychological consequences of combat for our soldiers and veterans.

While these are undoubtedly worthy aspirations, the special issue is nevertheless troubling in several important respects: the authors of the articles, all of whom are involved in the CSF program, offer very little discussion of conceptual and ethical considerations; the special issue does not provide a forum for any independent critical or cautionary voices whatsoever; and through this format, the APA itself has adopted a jingoistic cheerleading stance toward a research project about which many crucial questions should be posed. We discuss these and related concerns below.

So where did it begin? Where did homeless veterans come from? Why did they end up on the streets after surviving combat missions in Iraq and Afghanistan? Why didn't the families have what they needed to still stand by their sides after the stress of deployments ended and they were back home?

The logo for Comprehensive Soldier Fitness seems to have all the answers. After all, it has strong bodies and minds, spiritual strength and family support, so it all sounds so good.  They planned on us not paying attention.  They planned on us being too busy with reality TV shows to notice what the reality was for them.  They depended on us to let them just go on doing whatever they wanted to do.

Above all this crap, they actually felt sure no reporter would dare ask the questions that needed to be asked and answered.

They didn't count on the reporters with the Dallas Morning News and NBC out of Texas not only asking questions, but getting the answers.

About this series

“Injured Heroes, Broken Promises,” a joint investigative project between The Dallas Morning News and NBC5 (KXAS-TV), examines allegations of harassment and mistreatment in the U.S.’ Warrior Transition Units, which were created to serve soldiers with physical and psychological wounds. Reporters David Tarrant, Scott Friedman and Eva Parks based their findings on dozens of interviews with soldiers, Army officials and medical experts, and hundreds of pages of military documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act.

Related Stories

Part 1: Wounded soldiers allege mistreatment in the Army’s Warrior Transition Units
Complaints about wounded warriors’ treatment pile upBenn sought to help, but PTSD hindered him
Editorial: Wounded warriors deserve better
Army orders new training for Warrior Transition Units

More from NBC 5

NBC 5 takes a closer look at Warrior Transition Units
Hundreds of soldiers allege mistreatment at Army Warrior Transition Units
Injured soldiers question training of WTU leaders

This is what Comprehensive Soldier Fitness did. It made them think they were weak and that is why they were suffering. When the DOD failed to reduce suicides, they came up with excuse after excuse. When they came home, the message had been delivered and their fate was sealed.

Families had nothing to fight for them with.

The VA has failed, but it began to fail when troops were first sent into Afghanistan in 2001 and they already had a backlog of claims from older veterans.

The DOD failed but they began to send soldiers out with the wrong idea already drilled into their brains.

Reporters failed when they ignored the cries for help. Other than printing heartbreaking stories after suicide, they didn't bother to find out why suicides went up after everyone was doing more.

Congress failed when they didn't bother to find out what they got wrong in other bills they wrote, passed and funded before they rinsed and repeated them.

Above all, we failed because we just didn't care enough to save their lives. So what do we do now there are even more home after combat in Afghanistan?

Israel Defense Forces Double Suicide Rate from 2013

Suicide Rates More Than Doubled Among Soldiers Serving The Israel Defense Forces 
IB Times
By Morgan Winsor
January 02 2015

Israeli soldiers rest in the shade of trees near central Gaza Strip in July 2014. Reuters/Finbarr O'Reilly

More than 2,000 Palestinians -- mostly civilians -- and 63 IDF solders were killed during Operation Protective Edge. Israeli airstrikes in Gaza have devastated the area and displaced about 425,000 people, according to Reuters.

The total number of soldier suicides in the Israel Defense Forces has more than doubled in 2014 -- one year after the soldier suicide rate fell to a historic low, according to a report released Friday.

The Israeli military denied any connection between the sharp increase and the Israel-Gaza conflict, the Jerusalem Post reported.

Seven Israeli soldiers committed suicide in 2013. Since then, 15 soldiers have taken their own lives, according to the military’s latest figures. 
read more here

Canada: Veterans Blamed for Needing their VA?

Some ex-soldiers are exaggerating injuries so they don’t have to get a new job: Veterans Affairs
National Post
Lee Berthiaume
Postmedia News
January 2, 2015

Veterans Affairs Minister Julian Fantino in the House of Commons.

The Veterans Affairs department says some veterans are exaggerating their injuries to continue receiving financial benefits from the government and to avoid joining the workforce.

The explosive allegation is contained in a recent internal report on a Veterans Affairs rehabilitation program designed to help injured ex-soldiers transition to civilian life, which found thousands of veterans are staying in the program much longer than anticipated — or not finishing it at all.

The claim is sure to spark fresh anger among veterans groups and opposition critics who have previously complained about an insurance company attitude when it comes to Veterans Affairs Canada’s treatment of veterans.

But Veterans Affairs Minister Julian Fantino’s office, asked about the report, said this week the government will continue to support injured veterans as long as they require assistance.

“Our government makes no apologies for ensuring that veterans receive urgent rehabilitation care when they need it, and that they receive this support for as long as they and their medical practitioner deem appropriate,” Fantino spokeswoman Ashlee Smith said in an email.

NDP veterans affairs critic Peter Stoffer was critical of the department’s emphasis on potential abuse.
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Marine Couple Charged After Infant Abused

Marine couple charged for alleged abuse of infant boy
WCTI12 News
Katy Harris
POSTED: Jan 02 2015

JACKSONVILLE, ONSLOW COUNTY

A 7-month-old boy suffered a broken rib, bleeding in the lungs, and injuries to his tongue and eyes, and arrest warrants state his mother, a U.S. Marine, is to blame. A man, also a Marine, was arrested in the case as well.

Delaney Welch, 20, and David Alvarez, 25, were arrested on January first at their home in Jacksonville.

Arrest warrants say Welch assaulted and inflicted serious bodily injury on the child that caused a broken rib and bleeding lungs. Warrants state the boy also had a cut to the underside of his tongue, a burst blood vessel in his eye, and bruising.

Arrest warrants for Alvarez say he knowingly caused, encouraged and aided the infant to be abused and neglected.

The alleged abuse happened from July through September of 2014. The warrants don't say where the abuse happened, but the couple's address is listed as the Brynn Marr Village Apartments in Jacksonville.
read more here

"When you get home, you're lost in the civilian world"

Iraq War veteran aims to leave no Utah veteran behind 
KSL.com
Jed Boal
January 2, 2015

"In the military, you had a purpose," he said. "In war you have a purpose. When you get home, you're lost in the civilian world."

PARK CITY — A Utah veteran who served in Iraq continues to fight for his fellow veterans. Retired Marine Sergeant Josh Hansen came home with serious physical and emotional scars of war, but found hope and healing through exercise.

"By forcing myself to do it and getting out, I started feeling better," Hansen said, while enjoying a cross-country skiing workout at the White Pine Nordic Center in Park City.

In battle, Hansen lost six of his men in combat. Back at home, four more took their own lives. Now, he's on a mission to leave no veteran behind.

"After I had a few of my fellow veterans take their own lives, I said, 'OK, I led guys in the war, it's time to lead them here at home,'" he said.

So he and Laura Cantin, an adaptive sports specialist, founded Continue Mission "No Veteran Left Behind" with the objective to integrate the veterans back into civilian life to "get the vets out of the house, and get them into activities," Hansen said.

The co-founders know the healing power of rigorous exercise like cross-country skiing.

"We have a passion for what we do, and we want to share that," said Cantin. "We don't want our veterans to be stuck at home and not enjoy the camaraderie that they did in the service."

In Iraq, Hansen hunted for improvised explosive devices in support of the 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Expeditionary Forces in and around Fallujah. During his second tour, his vehicle sustained eight direct hits by IEDs, which caused multiple injuries over a seven-month period before he was flown out of Iraq on March 15, 2007.
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At the end of Rose Parade, keys wait for Purpe Heart Veteran

Rose Parade 2015: Retired Army veteran surprised with new home at end of parade 
Pasadena Star News
San Gabriel Valley Tribune
Richard Irwin
January 1, 2015

Retired Army Sgt. Dominic Perrotte III and his family receive a “key” to their new home from Wells Fargo. Photo Courtesy Wells Fargo

Thursday’s Rose Parade centered on lives reflecting the theme of “Inspiring Stories.” Leading the way was posthumous Grand Marshal Louis Zamperini whose amazing life is chronicled in the recently released Angelina Jolie film “Unbroken.”

Other American heroes with inspiring stories in the parade, ranged from wounded veterans and organ donors to Special Olympians and plucky high school musicians.

But only one hero received the keys to a new home. That was retired Army Sgt. Dominic Perrotte III. He thought he was only riding in the 126th Rose Parade as a representative of American service men and women around the world. But Perrotte and his family got much more, when Wells Fargo and Company and the Military Warriors Support Foundation gave him a mortgage-free home in Virginia.

The family learned of the gift in a ceremony at the end of the Rose Parade. Tim Sloan, senior executive vice president of Wells Fargo, presented the teary-eyed family with a large red ceremonial house key.

“In honor of your service, Wells Fargo and the Military Warriors Support Foundation would like to present you with the 200th home that Wells Fargo has provided to veterans since 2013,”

Sloan said as Kayla grabbed her husband’s arm and began to cry. “Sgt. Perrotte, Kayla, here’s the key to your new home in Hampton, Virginia, thank you for your service.”
read more here

Fort Bliss Chaplain Deployed 7 Times

Ready First: Brigade chaplain inspired by 9/11 to serve in Army, minister to soldiers
El Paso Times
By David Burge
POSTED: 01/01/2015

Barkemeyer is also the most deployed Catholic priest and most deployed chaplain currently serving in the Army, Fort Bliss officials said. He has been to Iraq five times and to Afghanistan twice. He volunteered for six of those deployments.

Chaplain Maj. John Barkemeyer is the chaplain for the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team. He is the most deployed chaplain currently in the U.S. Army. (Rudy Gutierrez — El Paso Times)

Army Chaplain Maj. John Barkemeyer was a Catholic priest in the Chicago area when he was inspired to join the service.

He witnessed Ground Zero in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers in New York City. He served as a chaplain for the Chicago Fire Department when its firefighters went to New York to help out.

Barkemeyer also saw many courageous young men and women in his parish join the military in a call to duty after 9/11.

"I saw the selflessness in them and asked myself, 'Am I doing everything I can do?'" said Barkemeyer, a 50-year-old native of Wilmette, Ill. "That coupled with the Ground Zero experience were two eye-opening experiences. 'OK, God, you got my attention.' "

Barkemeyer has now been in the Army for 12 years and is currently the brigade chaplain for the 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division. He became the Ready First Brigade chaplain in July 2014.

He helps fill one of the most critical shortages in the Army — a chaplain who is a Catholic priest. There are only about 100 Catholic priests serving in the Army and they probably need about 400 to ideally cover the needs of soldiers, Barkemeyer said.
read more here

Iraq Veteran Tender Proposal Starts New Year Off

Iraq Veteran Pops the Question During a John Michael Montgomery Song [Watch] 
Taste of Country
By Coti Howell
 January 2, 2015

An Iraq veteran was having a super sweet moment with his girlfriend during a John Michael Montgomery song and he made it even more special when he popped the question!

You may need a tissue for this story. Wylie Wheeler is an Iraq War veteran who will be tying the knot soon. Recently, Wheeler and his girlfriend, Brooke, went to a bar in Jacksonville, Fla., according to Country Music Nation.

While the adorable couple were at the bar, the DJ played a song clearly familiar to both parties — JMM’s ‘I Can Love You Like That.’

That’s when Wheeler took his girlfriend to the dance floor so they could dance to the sweet love song.

Wheeler, who is still serving in the military, is clearly a country fan and loves the song.
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Vietnam Veteran PTSD Service Dog Found

There is something off about this story. Since when does a trained PTSD service dog run away from owners? They paid a "professional" to train the dog to be a service dog and they don't just run off if trained properly. The other puzzling thing is why would the dog run away instead of to them when they finally found her?

Vietnam vet gets back his missing service dog
Sun Sentinel
By Tonya Alanez
January 1, 2015

The $500 reward went to Peterman, Jarrod Jones and Brian Johnson, said Rodriguez, a retired Army veteran who was awarded two Purple Heart medals.

Lost service dog found
(second from left) Rene Rodriguez paid a $500 reward to the three men who led him to his dog Thursday. James Peterman (green pants), Jarrod Jones (holding the cash) and Brian Johnson (wearing a hat).
(Rene Rodriguez, Courtesy)

Missing for five days from her Pompano Beach home, Bambi the service dog has been found and three Pompano Beach men are $500 richer.

It took two hours and 25 people chasing the skittish Shar Pei around Weaver Park Thursday afternoon to subdue the animal, but now she's home safe and sound, said her owner René Rodriguez, a Vietnam veteran.

"She was starving and dirty," an elated Rodriguez, 65, said Thursday evening. "As soon as she got in the car, she fell asleep and started snoring like she hadn't slept in years."

Bambi — BB for short — had been missing since 6 p.m. Saturday. Rodriguez's wife, Mimi, 66, said she cried every day and the couple offered a $500 reward for her return.

Both Rodriguez's suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. The couple got BB as a puppy more than a year ago from a kennel in Tennessee, and hired professionals to train her as a service dog.
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Colorado VA Hospital Construction "Boondoggle"

Look at all the years this has been going. What has Congress done about any of it other than complain after reporters started asking questions? What were their excuses for all of this happening without anything being done to fix it?

VA facing new congressional crackdown after Colorado hospital boondoggle 
FOX News
By Kelly David Burke
Published December 31, 2014

A congressional battle is brewing over the Department of Veterans Affairs' admitted mismanagement of construction projects across the country -- including an over-budget, billion-dollar hospital in Colorado that was, briefly, abandoned by the contractor.

"VA construction managers couldn't lead starving troops to a chow hall," Colorado Rep. Mike Coffman said in a recent statement.

Coffman, an Army and Marine Corps combat veteran, plans to introduce legislation stripping the VA of its authority to manage construction projects, and putting the Army Corps of Engineers in charge instead.

The Republican congressman's district includes the location of the troubled VA hospital project in Aurora, Colo. -- the latest black eye for the agency following the scandal over secret waiting lists.

The VA's original design in 2005 was estimated to cost $328 million. By 2008, design changes led Congress to authorize $568 million for the project. By 2010, Congress increased the authorization to $800 million.
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