Travis Airman Rushed to Help Rider After Motorcycle Crash

Travis AFB Airman treats motorcycle crash victim
By T.C. Perkins
60th Air Mobility Wing Public Affairs
Published January 09, 2017

TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. (AFNS) -- Just nine days before Christmas, Airman 1st Class Richard Crawford, a 60th Communications Squadron cyber security journeyman, decided to take a break from the holiday hustle and bustle to go fishing in Northern California.

Little did he know that by the end of the day, he would be instrumental in possibly saving the life of an injured motorist on U.S. Highway 50.

“I was heading back from a fishing trip when a motorcyclist passed me, lane splitting,” Crawford said. “He got a few cars ahead of me and eventually out of my line of sight; soon after, I heard a collision.”

The collision Crawford heard was a car slamming into the motorcycle at about 50 mph sending the rider skidding across the highway.

Crawford exited his vehicle and noticed the man holding his left leg. He also saw blood dripping from the man’s left foot.

Using skills he learned in self-aid and buddy care training, -- a course that teaches Airmen how to prevent the loss of life, limb or eyesight and treat battlefield casualties -- Crawford tended to the man’s injuries.
read more here

Veterans 2017 National Veterans Golden Age Games

Applications to be accepted for 2017 National Veterans Golden Age Games

Event Takes Place in Biloxi, May 7-11

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will accept applications from Veterans interested in competing in the 2017 National Veterans Golden Age Games beginning Feb. 1. Veterans ages 55 and older and enrolled in VA health care may complete applications online at www.veteransgoldenagegames.va.gov. Applications will be accepted through March 1.

“VA is committed to offer sports and fitness as an integral part of a successful healthcare program, and I encourage every eligible Veteran to take advantage of this opportunity,” said Carla Carmichael, National Veterans Golden Age Games director. “There are significant health benefits to leading an active lifestyle, and in keeping with the Games motto, we want every Veteran to achieve 'Fitness For Life.’”

The 2017 National Veterans Golden Age Games will take place in Biloxi, Mississippi, May 7-11. Nearly 800 athletes are expected to compete in the national multi-sport competition for senior Veterans, embracing the “Fitness for Life” motto. The event encourages participants to make physical activity a central part of their lives, and supports VA’s comprehensive recreation and rehabilitation therapy programs. Competitive events include air rifle, badminton, boccia, bowling, cycling, golf, horseshoes, nine ball, powerwalk, shuffleboard, swimming, table tennis, and track and field. Exhibition events include: air pistol, archery, basketball, blind disc golf and pickleball. 

VA research and clinical experience verify that movement and exercise are important to maintaining good health, speeding recovery and improving overall quality of life. The games encourage participants to continue in local senior events in their home communities and every other year serve as a qualifying event for competition in the National Senior Games. VA Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System will host this year’s games. The Gulf Coast Veterans Health Care System provides care for more than 50,000 Veterans throughout Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida.

For more information visit www.veteransgoldenagegames.va.gov and follow VA Adaptive Sports on Twitter at @VAAdaptiveSport or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/vaadaptivesports.

Orlando Police Officer Killed and Motorcycle Deputy Killed Responding

Slain officer identified as 17-year-veteran of OPD

WESH 2 News
Updated: 2:50 PM EST Jan 9, 2017

ORLANDO, Fla. — Orlando police have identified the officer who was gunned down while on duty Monday morning.

Chief John Mina identified the slain officer as Master Sgt. Debra Clayton, a 17-year-veteran of the department.

Clayton was shot and killed in the line of duty near a Walmart in Orlando.

Police Chief John Mina said the suspect, Markieth Loyd, 41, also is also wanted in the slaying of a pregnant woman.

Colleagues of Clayton said she was married and a mother of two. She was being remembered Monday as a person who always had a smile on her face and often took time out of her day to interact with the community.
read more here

Slain Orlando police officer Debra Clayton called a hero
Orlando Sentinel
David Harris
January 9, 2017

A sheriff's deputy later was killed in a crash with a 78-year-old driver.

Debra Clayton, the 17-year Orlando police officer killed Monday morning, was hailed as a hero by Chief John Mina.

"She will be deeply missed," Mina said

Clayton, 42, was married and the mother of an adult son who is in college, according to Mina. She was assigned to dayshift patrol and will be "missed beyond words."

"She always had a smile [and] high five for every kid she came across," the department tweeted.

Hours after the killing, friends gathered in front of her home on a tree-lined street in Ocoee, where neighbors say they shared power washers and tools with each other.

Teresa Sokolovic, a teacher at St. Cloud High School, met Clayton in December 2015 at a charity event at Camping World Stadium.
read more here

UPDATE

Click OrlandoORLANDO, Fla. - An Orange County Sheriff's Office deputy was struck and killed Monday morning during a search for a man who is accused of killing an Orlando police officer, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.
The deputy, identified around 5 p.m. Monday as Deputy First Class Norman Lewis, was on a motorcycle when a van hit him. Lewis, 35, was hired at the Orange County Sheriff's Office in 2005. He's a University of Central Florida alumnus and played football for the Knights, deputies said.

Sgt. Maj. William A. Robles Passed Away

Army South soldier dies from illness
Army Times
By: Charlsy Panzino
January 6, 2017

A Texas-based soldier died Thursday after a prolonged illness, according to an Army release.

Sgt. Maj. William A. Robles, who was assigned to the Regional Affairs Directorate at U.S. Army South, died at the San Antonio Military Medical Center at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston.

Robles served as an instructor at the Brazilian Non-Commissioned Officer Academy, part of the Army South Military Personnel Exchange Program, according to the release.

“We are extremely saddened and will miss Bill tremendously. He was an incredible Soldier who has served his country for decades and inspired everyone he encountered. I extend my heartfelt sympathy to Sgt. Maj. Robles’ family and to everyone who knew him,” Maj. Gen. K.K. Chinn, commander of Army South, said in the release. “He was a credit to the uniform he wore.”

Robles, born in El Salvador but raised in Los Angeles, enlisted in the California National Guard in 1986 and entered active duty in 1988 upon graduating high school.

He became an Army Special Forces communications sergeant and served multiple assignments in the 7th Special Forces Group (Airborne) and the 10th Special Forces Group (Airborne). He deployed to Saudi Arabia, Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan.
read more here

Combat Medic Gets Help From Veterans Community to Heal

Wounded veteran finds healing in community
Daily Sun
Taylor Mahoney
Special to the Daily Sun
January 7, 2017

In Iraq in 2005-06, as an army combat medic assigned to sappers (sappers go first, clear the obstacles, clear the land mines so the infantry can follow), he attended to wounded soldiers, hunted IED’s, survived the focus of an infamous sniper, and helped save more than 2,500 lives.

Blood, pain, earth shaking explosions: William Golliher knows about these. Golliher experienced hell in Iraq and Afghanistan. Now the Flagstaff man, like millions of war veterans across the ages, carries that hell within him. His journey continues as he struggles to find a new normal. Critical to that process, he said, is the company of other veterans.

Marine veteran Ralph Boyer knows Golliher through the Marine League Charities Flagstaff group.

“What you have is a hero here,” Boyer said. “That’s what.”

Golliher immediately protests.

“I don’t consider myself a hero. I did a tour in Iraq and in Afghanistan,” he said.

Golliher proudly traces his family's military history back to a soldier in the Revolutionary War and continuing unbroken through subsequent conflicts involving the United States. His grandfather fought in World War II. His father is a United States Coast Guard veteran.

Despite this, he has found healing through family and community. Although he can’t work, he keeps busy volunteering. Last September he got married. His wife, Philan Tree, just found out she’s pregnant. Golliher has trouble concentrating but has found it helps him to keep to a routine. His wife and a service dog are constant companions.

But his biggest source of support, he said, is other veterans who speak the same language. He has a support network of veterans who understand what he has had to live through and the nightmares he now has to live with.
read more here

Veteran Faces New Battle, Saving Her Baby From Opioid Dependency

U.S. Army veteran Jaclyn Alexander returned from Iraq to face new battle -- saving her baby girl from opioid dependency
MassLive.com
By Dan Glaun
January 08, 2017

This is first in a MassLive special report on the the impact of the opioid crisis on children in Massachusetts.

Jaclyn Alexander and her daughter Ella Donna, who has neonatal abstinence syndrome. Alexander developed an opioid addiction after being prescribed painkillers in the military; she is now clean.

When Jaclyn Alexander returned to the United States from military service in Iraq, her war was just beginning.

From an airbase nicknamed "Mortaritaville," to nerve damage in her back, to oxycodone, to morphine, to addiction. From addiction, to motherhood, to theft, to heroin, to detox and dope sickness, to recovery, to the Baystate Medical Center Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, where she sat holding her second daughter, quiet and calm but born dependent on the suboxone keeping her mother from relapse.

It has been, she said, a long road.

"I could not be in a better place. If you asked me a year ago if I would be right here right now I would absolutely have said no," Alexander said, amid the soft whooshes and mechanical chirps of the medical ward. "It's a phenomenal turnaround."

Alexander's baby, Ella Donna, is one of the growing number of children born dependent on opioids - what doctors call neonatal abstinence syndrome. It is a condition that requires special care, but is treatable, with approaches that have been refined as Massachusetts' addiction crisis has given the state one of the highest rates of NAS in the country.
read more here

Is Bad Research on PTSD Considered Fake News?

Bad Research on PTSD Continues
Combat PTSD Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
January 8, 2017

When we buy something to ingest, most products come with an expiration date to let us know when the good time has run out and it can make us sick if we use it. So why hasn't bad research ever included an expiration date? After all, the research on PTSD has been going on for over 40 years. Most of the "research" being done now has been repeated, dismissed or expanded on, yet reading most of the new research is more like reading a shampoo bottle with "wash, rinse and repeat."

The so called new or ground breaking research was washed out but if you are new to all of this, you were not warned about how long great research has sat on the shelf gathering dust. 

Congress has a habit of taking what they think is new and then fund it so they can appear to be informed but we've suffered for their lack of curiosity and inability to direct their staff to research the subject. In the case of veterans with PTSD, that neglect has been deadly while making the rest of us sick over the results.

In 1999 the Department of Veterans Affairs research put the number of veterans committing suicide at 20 a day. If you got up to page 18 on this report you'd find this chart.

If that number sounds familiar, it should. They came out with that same number in their latest report. What they did not say was back in 1999, there were over 5 million more veterans in the country.

When doing any kind of research, the findings should only be taken seriously if the previous research was actually reviewed.

I consider most of the reporting being done on PTSD fake news. This morning was one of those encounters with an article that made me want to go back into my bed and cover my head.

This was my first clue that this article should not be taken seriously.

"In earlier studies, Morozov and Wataru Ito - a research assistant professor at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute - investigated observational fear in a rodent model. They found that animals that witnessed stress in others, without experiencing any negative events themselves, displayed an increased fear response in other situations."

Rodents still being studied? Seriously? Ok, in the beginning when there were not enough people talking about having PTSD, that kind of made sense. But that need was obliterated about 40 years ago. With around 7 million Americans walking around with PTSD, you know, actual people they are supposedly trying to understand, the supply of human lab rats was readily available. Great researchers understood that way back then.

Simply observing fear in others changes brain connectivity
Medical News Today
Tim Newman
January 8, 2017

Research shows that it is not necessary to experience trauma directly to be affected by it. A recent study provides evidence that simply being around someone who has had a stressful experience can make changes to the way the brain processes information.

Research shows that observing other's stresses can change connectivity in the brain. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) develops in some people following a frightening, dangerous, or shocking event.

Although most people do not develop PTSD after such an experience, an estimated 7-8 percent of people in the United States will experience PTSD during their life.

Symptoms vary from individual to individual, but can include flashbacks, intrusive negative thoughts, avoiding places, events, or objects, and being easily startled.

Even if a specific event does not trigger PTSD at the time, it raises the chance of an individual developing it at a later date.
read more of this here.

Enough of that nonsense. Not living through an event/situation/circumstance, yet developing PTSD actually has a term and it is called Secondary PTSD.

This is from the Department of Veterans Affairs on how caregivers develop Secondary PTSD.

Partners of Veterans with PTSD: Research Findings

References

Calhoun, P. S., Beckham, J. C., & Bosworth, H. B. (2002). Caregiver burden and psychological distress in partners of Veterans with chronic posttraumatic stress disorder. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 15, 205-212.

Jordan, B. K., Marmar, C. B., Fairbank, J. A., Schlenger, W. E., Kulka, R. A., Hough, R. L., et al. (1992). Problems in families of male Vietnam Veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 60, 916-926.

Kulka, R. A., Schlenger, W. E., Fairbank, J. A., Hough, R. L., Jordan, B. K., Marmar, C. R., et al. (1990). Trauma and the Vietnam War generation: Report of findings from the National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Study. New York: Brunner/Mazel. Silverstein, R. F. (1996). Combat-related trauma as measured by ego developmental indices of defenses and identity achievement. Journal of Genetic Psychology, 157, 169-179.

Waysman, M., Mikulincer, M., Solomon, Z., & Weisenberg, M. (1993). Secondary traumatization among wives of posttraumatic combat Veterans: A family typology. Journal of Family Psychology, 7, 104-118.

Mikulincer, M., Florian, V., & Solomon, Z. (1995). Marital intimacy, family support, and secondary traumatization: A study of wives of Veterans with combat stress reaction. Anxiety, Stress, and Coping, 8, 203-213.

Riggs, D. S., Byrne, C. A., Weathers, F. W., & Litz, B. T. (1998). The quality of the intimate relationships of male Vietnam Veterans: Problems associated with posttraumatic stress disorder. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 11, 87-101.

Carroll, E. M., Rueger, D. B., Foy, D. W., & Donahoe, C. P. (1985). Vietnam combat Veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder: Analysis of marital and cohabitating adjustment. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 94, 329-337.

Cosgrove, D. J., Gordon, Z., Bernie, J. E., Hami, S., Montoya, D., Stein, M. B., et al. (2002). Sexual dysfunction in combat Veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder. Urology, 60, 881-884.

Solomon, Z., Waysman, M., Avitzur, E., & Enoch, D. (1991). Psychiatric symptomatology among wives of soldiers following combat stress reaction: The role of the social network and marital relations. Anxiety Research, 4, 213-223

President's Commission on Mental Health. (1978). Mental health problems of Vietnam era Veterans (Vol. 3), pp. 1321-1328. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.

Byrne, C. A., & Riggs, D. S. (1996). The cycle of trauma: Relationship aggression in male Vietnam Veterans with symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder. Violence and Victims, 11, 213-225.

Nelson, B. S., & Wright, D. W. (1996). Understanding and treating post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms in female partners of Veterans with PTSD. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 22, 455-467.

Verbosky, S. J., & Ryan, D. A. (1988). Female partners of Vietnam Veterans: Stress by proximity. Issues in Mental Health Nursing, 9, 95-104.

Williams, C. M., & Williams, T. (1987). Family therapy and Vietnam Veterans. In T. Williams (Ed.), Post-traumatic stress disorders: A handbook for clinicians (pp. 221-231). Cincinnati, Ohio: Disabled American Veterans.

Beckham, J. C., Lytle, B. L., & Feldman, M. E. (1996). Caregiver burden in partners of Vietnam War Veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 64, 1068-1072.

Ruscio, A. M., Weathers, F. W., King, L. A., & King, D. W. (2002). Male war-zone Veterans' perceived relationships with their children: The importance of emotional numbing. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 15, 351-357.

Harris, M. J., & Fisher, B. S. (1985). Group therapy in the treatment of female partners of Vietnam Veterans. Journal for Specialists in Group Work, 10, 44-50.

Williams, C. (1987). The veteran system with a focus on women partners. In T. Williams (Ed.), Post-traumatic stress disorders: A handbook for clinicians (pp. 169-192). Cincinnati, Ohio: Disabled American Veterans.

Johnson, S. M. (2002). Emotionally focused couple therapy with trauma survivors: Strengthening attachment bonds. New York: Guilford.

Monson, C.M., Guthrie, K.A., & Stevens, S. (2003) . Cognitive-behavioral couple's treatment for posttraumatic stress disorder. Behavior Therapist, 26, 393-401.

This is about those who work with veterans or anyone else living with PTSD.

This is from 2007 article on counselors developing PTSD list of references at the bottom, indicating that this article is far from new research. I do not agree with the report itself because it dismisses what many experts have been proven right on. Treating people, not rats, for PTSD requires a triple play of treating their mind, their body and their spirit/soul. Leave one out and healing does not happen to the whole person.

Secondary Traumatic Stress, Compassion Fatigue and Counselor Spirituality: Implications for Counselors Working with Trauma

References

Athur, N.M. (1990). The assessment of burnout: A review of three inventories useful for research and counseling. Journal of Counseling and Development, 69, 186-189.

Chrestman, K.R. (1995). Secondary exposure to trauma and self reported distress among therapists. In B.H. Stamm (Ed.), Secondary traumatic stress: Self care issues for clinicians, researchers, and educators (pp. 29-36). Lutherville, MD: Sidran Press.

Cooper, A.E. (2003). An investigation of the relationships among spirituality, prayer, and meditation, and aspects of stress and coping. Dissertation Abstracts International (UMI no. 3084474).

Figley, C.R. (1995). Compassion fatigue: Coping with secondary traumatic stress disorder in those who treat the traumatized. Bristol, PA: Brunner/Mazel.

Graham, S., Furr, S., Flowers, C. & Burke, M.T. (2001). Religion and spirituality in coping with stress [Electronic version]. Counseling and Values, 46(1), 2-14.

Koenig, H.G. (1999). The healing power of faith. New York: Simon & Schuster.

Morgan, H. (2004, June). Spiritual healing. Learning Disability Practice, 7(5), 8-9.

McCann, I.L. & Pearlman, L.A. (1990b). Vicarious traumatization: A framework for understanding the psychological effects of working with victims. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 3, 131-149.

McCann, I.L. & Saakvitne, K.W. (1995). Treating therapists with vicarious traumatization and secondary traumatic stress disorders. In C.R. Figley (Ed.), Compassion fatigue: Coping with secondary traumatic stress disorder in those who treat the traumatized (pp. 150-177). New York: Brunner/Mazel.

Pearlman, L.A. & MacIan, P.S. (1995). Vicarious traumatization: An empirical study of the effects of trauma work on trauma therapists. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 26, 558-565.

Pearlman, L.A. & Saakvitne, K.W. (1995). Treating therapists with vicarious traumatization and secondary traumatic stress disorders. In C.R. Figley (Ed.), Compassion fatigue: Coping with secondary traumatic stress disorder in those who treat the traumatized (pp. 150-177). New York: Brunner/Mazel.

Ryan, P.L. (1998). Spirituality among adult survivors of childhood violence: A literature Review [Electronic version]. Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, 30, 39-51.

Simpson, L. R. (2005). Level of Spirituality as a Predictor of the Occurrence of Compassion Fatigue among Counseling Professionals in Mississippi. University of Mississippi.

PTSD Does Not Have A Chance When We Fight Back

While I do not share everything I read on PTSD, there are many times when it reflects conversations we do not have often enough. Reading about a psychiatrist "quest to understand PTSD" touched home for me. I first heard about PTSD in 1982 after I heard the term "shell shock" for the first time and then went to the library to find out what it was.

Over the years, as I understood more and more about what it was, what it did and how to help my husband, it turned into one more quest to follow. Why didn't I have PTSD? 

Over the years, following extensive training, it became clear that as soon as the event was over for me, the battle started. Each time it was proven that the event itself was out of my control but what came afterwards was in my hands.

I had to reason with how I felt about it, myself, get past the "why me" and the questions about what I did wrong, or right, that left me alive, facing a future as a survivor.

I talked until I was done talking and when I wasn't talking, I was thinking. It was dealt with head on before it had a chance to take over my life. 

There is a 30 day window after trauma, where symptoms either go away or at least grow weaker. You are not ever going to "get over it" but you can get past it. It is part of you but then again, so is your strength. You have to grab control of your life out of "it" and you can with hard work. 

Two sections to spotlight from A Psychiatrist’s Quest to Understand PTSD on The Wall Street Journal report "Charles Marmar of NYU Langone Medical Center is on a search for better ways to diagnose and treat post-traumatic stress disorder"

What many people don’t realize, says Dr. Marmar, is that an estimated 85% of cases result from an event outside of the military, including sexual violence, a car accident or the violent death of a friend or family member. Outside of the military, women are twice as likely to develop PTSD as men—in part, he thinks, because women are disproportionally targeted as victims of interpersonal violence. PTSD is sometimes misdiagnosed as depression or anxiety, he says.

And he is right about the other causes however, consider that most of them are in fact caused by occupational traumas.

PTSD: The Hidden Toll of Policing
An estimated 100,000 active U.S. police officers have PTSD, according to the organization. However, the numbers are not conclusive.

And then there are the firefighters

46.5 percent Percent of surveyed fire fighters in Florida that had considered suicide, according to a Florida State University study. 19.2 percent Percent of surveyed fire fighters in Florida that had suicide plans, according to that study. 15.5 percent Percent of surveyed fire fighters in Florida that had attempted suicide, according to that study.

The other part of the report from The Wall Street Journal is this;

Current approaches for treating PTSD, such as long-term psychoanalysis and antidepressants, haven’t been effective at reducing symptoms in everyone. “We have been struggling since World War II, at least, to develop treatments for PTSD,” says Dr. Marmar. 

But while that is also true, research began during WWI, well over 100 years ago when it was called "Shell Shock." Still everything that is known about PTSD began when researchers focused on the ones with surviving the most traumatic events along with the number of times and duration. This is all the result of research on service members during war and after they were supposed to be living in peace.

When we fight back as survivors, it just doesn't have a chance to destroy us. Every expert I have read over the last three decades explained that PTSD stops getting worse as soon as we start talking. So start fighting back as soon as you get up off the ground and take control back for the rest of your life!

Combat PTSD Veterans Wait For Care in Canada Too!

Veterans Affairs struggles with assistance requests, leaves hundreds in limbo
The Canadian Press
By LEE BERTHIAUME
Jan. 5, 2017

Internal reports show just over half of veterans who applied for disability benefits between April and July last year received a decision within 16 weeks.

Internal reports obtained by The Canadian Press indicate that just over half of veterans who applied for disability benefits between April and July last year received a decision within 16 weeks.

Officials say processing times have been sped up, but the department is still falling short of its own targets and leaving hundreds of ill and injured veterans in limbo for months on end.

Many are struggling with mental-health injuries, including post-traumatic stress disorder.

The revelation comes amid shock over the shooting deaths of four people in Nova Scotia this week, one of them the apparent suicide of a veteran from Canada’s war in Afghanistan.

Family members say retired corporal Lionel Desmond had been seeking treatment for PTSD without success following his release from the military in July 2015.

Desmond, who served in Afghanistan in 2007, was found dead Tuesday in Upper Big Tracadie, N.S., along with wife Shanna, their 10-year-old daughter Aaliyah and his mother Brenda.

“When combined with issues that members are having with PTSD and occupational stress injuries, it becomes overwhelming for our veterans.” John Brassard
read more here

Joshua Dunne Wife's Anguished 911 Call Released After Police Shooting

911 calls reveal man shot and killed by LCPD officers suffering from PTSD, argued with wife
KVIA ABC 7 News
By: Staff Report
Posted: Jan 06, 2017

LAS CRUCES, New Mexico - 911 calls obtained by ABC-7's New Mexico Mobile Newsroom reveal the man shot and killed by two Las Cruces police officers was a veteran suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Thursday, the office of District Attorney Mark D'Antonio cleared the two police officers involved in the shooting death of 36-year-old Joshua "Josh" Clay Dunne. The actions of the officers were justified, D'Antonio's office announced.

Investigators looking into the police shooting said a relative told officers Dunne was possibly suicidal and could have been armed with a 9 mm handgun and a hunting knife.

In a call to 911, Dunne's wife, Melanie Dunne, told the operator she and her husband "had an argument. He is a veteran who has PTSD and has been suicidal before."

Melanie Dunne also said her husband "told me not to call the police because he would get into a shootout with the cops." The woman went on to tell the operator her husband had a 9mm handgun and a "sharp hunting knife."
read more here

Congress Wants to Dump Veterans Healthcare?

Remind Congress Veterans Are Not Civilians
Combat PTSD Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
January 7, 2017

When members of Congress complain about the VA, it is like a bank robber complaining there wasn't enough money to make it worth his effort.

Veterans are not civilians. They paid the price for the best care designed to honor that service. They deserve better than to have what they were promised sold off to the highest donors of campaigns.

The day started off with an email from Matt Gaetz, which is odd considering I am not in his district. Anyway, this is what I'm talking about.

Apparently Gaetz does not allow the fact that members of Congress, just like him, have been responsible for the way our veterans have been failed since 1946. That is when the House of Representatives was given jurisdiction over the same system they complain about all these years later. Yep, guess they forget to mention that simple fact when they defend their decision to kill the VA.

Military
SERVING THOSE THAT SERVE US

Northwest Florida is privileged to have bases such as Eglin AFB and Pensacola NAS, and we owe our freedom to the brave men and women that serve there. Matt successfully sponsored legislation protecting the identities of service members and their families from groups like ISIS who have published their information to create “hit lists” of military personnel. He also co-sponsored the Florida GI Bill, offering veterans hiring preferences and in-state college tuition.

Matt has obtained over $3 Million to fund “Building Homes for Heroes,” a program that provides housing for wounded veterans and modifies their homes to meet their needs. While serving on the Florida Defense Support Task Force, Matt fought to secure funding for world-class care to help re-habilitate wounded warriors so that they can continue to fight for our country.

When it comes to caring for our veterans Matt believes that the VA doesn’t just need to be reformed – it needs to be abolished and replaced with a veteran-led system that allows our heroes to bypass bureaucracy and get their care from the providers they choose.

The other thing he apparently does not know is that 80% of our veterans, do in fact, get most of their healthcare from private providers. Only 20% use the VA exclusively. 

While about 40 percent of veterans get some health care from the VA, only about 20 percent of all veterans rely totally on the VA, according to a 2015 government survey of health and health care use.

But why would I know any of this? I've only been watching in since I was in elementary school when my Dad was fighting for his benefits. Then I got to see what happened in the 90's when I finally got my husband to go to the VA. If you've been paying attention for four decades, it is downright pathetic that no one in Congress ever took responsibility for the outcome of their failures.

Ok, now this is from the VA.

Priority GroupsPriority Group 1

• Veterans with VA-rated service-connected disabilities 50% or more disabling.

• Veterans determined by VA to be unemployable due to service-connected conditions.

Priority Group 2

• Veterans with VA-rated service-connected disabilities 30% or 40% disabling.

Priority Group 3

• Veterans who are Former Prisoners of War (POWs).

• Veterans awarded a Purple Heart medal.

• Veterans whose discharge was for a disability that was incurred or aggravated in the line of duty.

• Veterans with VA-rated service-connected disabilities 10% or 20% disabling.

• Veterans awarded special eligibility classification under Title 38, U.S.C., § 1151, “benefits for individuals disabled by treatment or vocational rehabilitation”.

• Veterans awarded the Medal Of Honor (MOH).

Priority Group 4

• Veterans who are receiving aid and attendance or housebound benefits from VA.

• Veterans who have been determined by VA to be catastrophically disabled.

Priority Group 5

• Nonservice-connected Veterans and noncompensable service-connected Veterans rated 0% disabled by VA with annual income and/or net worth below the VA national income threshold and geographically-adjusted income threshold for their resident location.

• Veterans receiving VA pension benefits.

• Veterans eligible for Medicaid programs.

Priority Group 6

• Compensable 0% service-connected Veterans.

• Veterans exposed to ionizing radiation during atmospheric testing or during the occupation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

• Project 112/SHAD participants.

• Veterans of the Mexican border period or of World War I

• Veterans who served in the Republic of Vietnam between January 9, 1962, and May 7, 1975

• Veterans of the Persian Gulf War who served between August 2, 1990, and November 11, 1998

• Veterans who served on active duty at Camp Lejeune for at least 30 days between August 1, 1953, and December 31, 1987*

• Veterans who served in a theater of combat operations after November 11, 1998 as follows:

• Currently enrolled Veterans and new enrollees who were discharged from active duty on or after January 28, 2003, are eligible for the enhanced benefits for five years post discharge.

Note: At the end of this enhanced enrollment priority group placement time period, Veterans will be assigned to the highest Priority Group (PG) their eligibility status at that time qualifies for.*While eligible for PG 6; until system changes are implemented Veterans are assigned to PG 7 or 8 depending on their household income.** While eligible for PG 6; due to system limitations, Veterans will be manually assigned to Priority Group 8c, yet eligible for the enhance benefits.Priority Group 7

• Veterans with gross household income below the geographically-adjusted VA income limit for their resident location, and who agree to pay copays.

Priority Group 8

• Veterans with gross household incomes above the VA income limits and the geographically- adjusted income limits for their resident location, and who agree to pay copays.

Veterans eligible for enrollment: Noncompensable 0% service-connected and:

• Subpriority a: Enrolled as of January 16, 2003, and who have remained enrolled since that date and/or placed in this subpriority due to changed eligibility status.

• Subpriority b: Enrolled on or after June 15, 2009 whose income exceeds the current VA National Income Thresholds or VA National Geographic Income Thresholds by 10% or less.

Veterans eligible for enrollment: Nonservice-connected and:

• Subpriority c: Enrolled as of January 16, 2003, and who have remained enrolled since that date and/or placed in this subpriority due to changed eligibility status.

• Subpriority d: Enrolled on or after June 15, 2009 whose income exceeds the current VA National Income Thresholds or VA National Geographic Income Thresholds by 10% or less.

Veterans not eligible for enrollment: Veterans not meeting the criteria above:

• Subpriority e: Noncompensable 0% service-connected (eligible for care of their service-connected condition only).

• Subpriority g: Nonservice-connected.

There are rules for veterans to go to the VA but there doesn't seem to be rules for members of Congress to make sure they actually do their jobs as employees of the taxpayers of this nation. Businesses close down with yahoos like this not doing their jobs. The only difference is, business actually require employees to train for the jobs they are given. We seem to select them and give them a pass when they neglect to make sure stuff works for the country. In this case, the neglect has been catastrophic for our veterans after they risked their very lives to protect the rest of us.

Veterans are not civilians. They paid the price for the best care designed to honor that service. They deserve better than to have what they were promised sold off to the highest donors of campaigns.

As a last thought, remember, these folks are the same ones complaining about the Affordable Care Act, but they want veterans treated by the same system. WTF?

Fort Lauderdale Airport Shooting Suspect Alaska National Guardsman

Was he among the thousands kicked out of the military instead of getting help they needed to heal from combat?

He joined the Puerto Rico National Guard in December 2007, and served in Iraq from April 2010 to February 2011 as a combat engineer, according to the Alaska National Guard.

He was in the Army Reserves before joining the Alaska National Guard two years ago and got a general discharge Aug. 16, 2016, for unsatisfactory performance, a spokesman for the Alaska guard said. He was a private first class when he was discharged, the Guard said.

Santiago tried to get help and was clearly in distress.

In November, Santiago walked into the FBI's office in Anchorage and claimed his mind was being controlled by a U.S. intelligence agency and the CIA was forcing him to watch ISIS videos, federal law enforcement officials told NBC News.

Santiago was clear that he didn't intend to harm anyone, but the FBI was concerned by his erratic behavior and called police and he was taken to a mental health facility for an evaluation, FBI Special Agent in Charge George Piro of the Miami division told reporters Friday night.

Read more of the report from NBC News Fort Lauderdale Airport Shooting Suspect Esteban Santiago Said He Heard Voices: Officials

5 dead, 8 wounded in airport shooting; US veteran arrested
WESH 2 News
Suspect was on passenger at the airport
Updated: 6:09 PM EST Jan 6, 2017

An arriving airline passenger with a gun in his luggage opened fire in the baggage claim area at the Fort Lauderdale airport Friday, killing five people and wounding eight before throwing his weapon down and lying spread-eagle on the ground, authorities and witnesses said.

The gunman — identified by authorities as 26-year-old Esteban Santiago, of Anchorage, Alaska, an Army National Guard veteran who served in Iraq — was immediately taken into custody. His brother said he had been receiving psychological treatment recently.

The attack sent panicked passengers running out of the terminal and onto the tarmac, baggage in hand, and forced the shutdown of the entire airport.

Authorities said the motive was under investigation.
read more here

Combat PTSD Marine Master Sergeant Life Saved by Military Family

EOD MARINE BATTLES ENEMY WITHIN; CREDITS COLLEAGUES FOR SAVING HIS LIFE 
Marine Corps Systems Command
By Emily Greene 
January 6, 2017

Farmer credits the support and compassion of the two men—part of his leadership team at MCSC—with saving his life during a time when he contemplated suicide. Today, Farmer battles post-traumatic stress disorder and depression, and urges leaders across the Marine Corps to show understanding and compassion for Marines who may be suffering.

Joseph Klocek (left) and Maj. Scott Graniero (right) pose with Master Sgt. Clifford Farmer at Marine Corps Systems Command aboard Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va.

MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, VA -- Master Sgt. Clifford Farmer is one tough Marine. As an explosive ordnance disposal technician with four combat tours under his belt, he has years of experience neutralizing and disposing of deadly explosives, including improvised explosive devices, the signature weapon of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom.

“We always joke in the field that some of us aren’t EOD techs, we’re IED techs,” Farmer said laughingly. “But, truth be told, and as much as I love my family, deployments are my happy place. As a Marine that is where I want to be – on the front lines with my Marines.”

When this battle-hardened senior non-commissioned officer transitioned from serving in operational environments to a support role at Marine Corps Systems Command it was hard.

“I never saw myself not in the field, side-by-side with my Marines,” he said. “At first I didn’t see how my new job was helping the Corps. And I was never cut out for a desk job.”

Little did he know his life was on the line again, but in a way he never saw coming. This time the enemy was himself.

“In the Corps the question is always ‘what have you done for the Marine Corps today?’ It’s about selfless service; someone else always has it worse,” Farmer said. “Throughout my career I’ve had aches and pains and just disregarded them as a passing inconvenience. My physical issues were nothing compared to seeing a friend die, and supporting the friend who carried him home. Everything else seems insignificant. I’ve since learned it’s also important to have self-compassion—to remember to take care of yourself.”

When Farmer found himself at MCSC, his years of combat stress hit, and they hit hard. He underwent multiple surgeries and treatments to repair a body that had not only served in theater, but also performed in sporting events ranging from mud runs to triathlons.
read more here

Frozen Soldiers Want to Go to Afghanistan Because It is Warmer Than Barracks

Hundreds of frozen troops left without army camp heating
Daily Star UK
By Jack Bellamy
Published 6th January 2017

Hundreds of troops have paid to live in barracks with a broken boiler for the last eight months.

FROZEN: Soldiers are left without heating at an Army camp

One said: “They are saying there is no money left to repair the boiler.

“It is disgusting. We pay rent for this – any other landlord would be taken to court. If we were allowed to join a union we would all be on strike.”

The soldier added: “I would be better off in Afghanistan. At least it was warm there and we were looked after.”
read more here

Younger Veterans Swoop in For WWII Veteran

Berlin veterans swoop in to help WWII Navy man 
My Record Journal
January 6, 2017

The VFW Post 10732 is intending to do more of these projects. However, younger veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan are needed. It is tough when we ask an 85-year-old veteran to climb a ladder to paint. But they do it gladly.

Berlin VFW Post 10732 was in search of a veteran needing assistance with their home. It has been difficult to find a needy elderly veteran, Post Commander Gary Barwikowski pointed out.

From left, veteran volunteers Stu Topliff (Desert Storm), Brad Parsons (Iraq), Dan McKeon (Vietnam) and Bob Dornfried (Korea).

Well, the local post did not stop in its quest to find a candidate to support. Recently, Post 10732 found its veteran, a WWII Navy veteran who wanted to paint his home, but knew he was not up to the task. So his fellow veterans came to his aid. The veteran manpower was further augmented by the generous donation of the paint and supplies needed for the job by The John Boyle Company. Jim King, company president, personally came out to evaluate the home and assess the requirements. read more here