Veteran Learns to Overcome PTSD and Heal

Not new, so, not "groundbreaking" plus, there is no cure, but as this does show, there is real healing going on, and that is the most important thing to take away from all of this. No one is stuck the way you are. You can change again for the better and take away the power PTSD has over you.

Groundbreaking Fort Hood Study On PTSD Gives Hope For A Permanent Cure
NBC 6 News
Doug Currin

RETIRED SERGEANT FIRST CLASS SEAN BRACK - WHO - WITH SEVERAL SYMPTOMS OF THE STRESS, KNEW HE NEEDED HELP. SOON AFTERWARDS, MR. BRACK HEARD OF AN EXPERIMENTAL THERAPY HAPPENING ON POST DONE BY THE STRONG STAR CONSORTIUM AND THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS HEALTH AND SCIENCE CENTER OF SAN ANTONIO.

Brack sums up his takeaway: “the simple act of telling someone is an amazing release. Literally like a weight off the chest. You realize I’m not the only one who feels this way – I’m not crazy for feeling this way.”

Retired sergeant first class Sean Brack - who - with several symptoms of the stress, knew he needed help. Soon afterwards, Mr. Brack heard of an experimental therapy happening on post done by the Strong Star consortium and the University of Texas Health and Science Center of San Antonio.

He soon realized he could overcome and move forward with his life.

When P.T.S.D. takes over, it's coming out of a dark place, that can take a long time. Sean's experience was just that.

“When I did feel something it would be rage.”

His quality of life was suffering. and medications were not helping.

“I couldn't keep my eyes open during the day but I couldn't sleep at night. it was like looking through a vail of gauze. Everything was dull. I just didn't care,” he said.

Sean was already in an altered sense of reality - so his rational thinking was in question.

One thing in particular he remembers - walking in the war zone in Afghanistan, and what it was like to walk among those who were killed and left for dead.
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VA Study: Aspirin May Help Prevent Some Cancers

VA study highlights benefits of enhanced aspirin in preventing certain cancers

WASHINGTON — Researchers know of aspirin’s benefits in preventing certain ailments — from cardiovascular disease to most recently colorectal cancer. But while the link to those two conditions was made, researchers also questioned how and if this “wonder drug” could work to ward off other types of cancers. 

Thanks to a team led by Dr. Vinod Vijayan at the DeBakey Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center in Houston and Dr. Lenard Lichtenberger of the University of Texas Health Sciences Center, new studies verify their theory of cancer-prevention benefits based on aspirin’s effects on platelets—blood cells that form clots to stop bleeding. The findings appear in the February 2017 issue of Cancer Prevention Research journal.

“Along with clotting, platelets also play a role in forming new blood vessels,” Vijayan said. “That action is normally beneficial, such as when a new clot forms after a wound, and new vessels are needed to redirect blood flow. But the same action can help tumors grow. It’s this process that aspirin can interrupt.”

Their lab tests showed how aspirin blocked the interaction between platelets and cancer cells by shutting down the enzyme COX-1, thereby curbing the number of circulating platelets and their level of activity.

Some of their experiments used regular aspirin from a local drug store. In another phase, the researchers used a special preparation of aspirin combined with phosphatidylcholine, a type of lipid, or fat molecule. The molecule is a main ingredient in soy lecithin. The product, known as Aspirin-PC/PL2200, is designed to ease the gastrointestinal risk associated with standard aspirin.

The enhanced aspirin complex was even stronger against cancer than the regular aspirin. Summarizing their findings, the researchers wrote: “These results suggest that aspirin’s chemopreventive effects may be due, in part, to the drug blocking the proneoplastic [supporting new, abnormal growth, as in cancer] action of platelets and [they support] the potential use of Aspirin-PC/PL2200 as an effective and safer chemopreventive agent for colorectal cancer and possibly other cancers.”

In collaboration with researchers at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, the group said they plan to test the lipid-aspirin complex for safety and efficacy in people at high risk for colorectal cancer. Meanwhile, they said their results, so far, “support the use of low-dose aspirin for chemoprevention.” They added that Aspirin-PC/PL2200 has “similar chemopreventive actions to low-dose aspirin and may be more effective.”

The research study was supported by the National Institutes of Health.  For more information about VA research on cancer, visit www.research.va.gov/topics/cancer.

Lichtenberger is a professor of integrative biology and pharmacology at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center. Vijayan, an expert in platelet biology, is with the Center for Translational Research on Inflammatory Diseases at the DeBakey VA Medical Center. He is also an associate professor at Baylor College of Medicine.

Death of Airman Under Investigation in North Carolina

Air Force investigating death at Goldsboro home 
WRAL News 
February 28, 2017 

GOLDSBORO, N.C. — The Air Force was investigating the death of an airman Tuesday afternoon at a home on Brantwood Drive in Goldsboro. 

Special agents from the Air Force Office of Special Investigations were on scene, and neighbors said a body was removed from the home sometime around noon. read more here

Suicide Suspected in Death of Missouri Sailor

Submarine sailor dies on watch in port in suspected suicide
Navy Times
By: David B. Larter
February 28, 2017

A junior sailor on board the attack submarine Missouri died during an overnight watch in a suspected suicide early Monday morning.

The third-class petty officer, whose name is being withheld for privacy concerns, is believed to have died from a gunshot wound from his issued 9mm pistol while standing a quarterdeck watch on Missouri, which is stationed at Naval Submarine Base New London, Connecticut, according to an internal memo on the incident obtained by Navy Times.

The incident occurred at about 1:30 in the morning.

A statement from Naval Submarine Support Center New London acknowledged the death, but declined to cite a cause of death citing an ongoing investigation.
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Ex-Homeless Veteran Enters Ms. Veteran America Contest

From Combat Boots to High Heels: Grand Forks woman enters pageant to shine light on veteran homeless
Grand Folks Herald
By Pamela Knudson
Feb 28, 2017

"It's one of those things you never imagine yourself doing. I've never been a 'girly girl.' I didn't wear high heels; I wore a uniform and combat boots." 

Sandy Gessler

Sandy Gessler never imagined herself as a beauty pageant contestant.

But, at age 60, she's entering the Ms. Veteran America contest to focus attention on the plight of homeless veterans—something she has experienced.

The Grand Forks woman plans to compete in the Ms. Veteran America regional pageant May 27 in Las Vegas. If she's one of the 25 contestants who wins there, she'll go on to the final competition in October in Washington, D.C.
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Marine-Afghanistan Amputee Gets Wheels

Custom-ordered Harley brings ‘freedom’ to disabled St. Augustine veteran
Florida Times Union
By Beth Reese Cravey
Posted February 27, 2017

Brandon Long had wanted a motorcycle since he was a kid.

Salesman John Armstrong hands Brandon Long the keys to his new motorcycle as he walks him through the features of the custom Harley-Davidson the Adamec dealership on Baymeadows Road in Jacksonville created for him. Long, 26, a Marine veteran who lives in St. Augustine, ordered a three wheeler configured with hand control to cover the functions normally controlled by the rider's feet.
Photo Bob Self Florida Times Union.

Long thought that dream would go unfulfilled after stepping on an improvised explosive device while on Marine Corps deployment in Afghanistan in December 2010. He said he died — and was resuscitated — eight times, lost both legs and spent two years in physical therapy.

“When I came back injured, I didn’t think I would be able to ride,” Long said.

Still, the dream persisted.

So Long and John Armstrong, a salesman at Adamec Harley-Davidson dealership on Baymeadows Road, spent about a year studying the motorcycle options for a double amputee in a wheelchair. And on Feb. 16, Long, now 26, arrived at the Jacksonville dealership to meet his brand-new Freewheeler, a three-wheeled motorcycle with all custom hand controls.

Long, who had waited a long “two months and two days” for the bike to arrive, was ecstatic.

“It was amazing,” he said last week. “Just absolutely amazing.”
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Fort Hood Soldier Found Dead at Fort Rucker Hotel

Soldier found dead at Fort Rucker hotel identified
WTVY.com
By April Davis
Feb 28, 2017

FORT RUCKER, Ala. (WTVY) – [UPDATE: February 28, 2017]
The soldier found deceased yesterday on Fort Rucker has been identified as Chief Warrant Officer Two Andre G. Nance.

Nance was 34 years of age and was previously stationed at Fort Hood, Texas. He was at Fort Rucker for the Warrant Officer Advance Course with onward orders to his next duty station at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

At approximately 7:42 a.m. yesterday, an IHG employee called 911 after discovering Nance unresponsive in lodging on post. Upon examination, an Army flight surgeon declared him deceased.

The cause of death is currently under investigation by the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command.
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US Military Vets Motorcycle Club Lost Home to Fire

Veterans biker club headquarters burns down
WCJB ABC News
Published February 27th, 2017

"Our home burnt down. We know our community is behind us and we know the brotherhood doesn't go with the ashes of the house, because that's in here (points to heart) and we will grow here," Reeve said. 

MARION COUNTY, Fla -- A veteran group in Marion Country is recovering from the shock of losing their headquarters in a massive fire.

The building was located near the intersection of SE 135th Ave. and SE 114th St. Rd. in Ocklawaha. The US Military Vets Motorcycle Club Marion County Chapter used this home as their headquarters since 2001.

The century-old home full of memories was left a pile of burnt wood and ashes Monday afternoon. Marion County Fire Rescue responded around 6:30 AM. Monday. HAZMAT teams members responded to the scene to mitigate propane tank hazards.

"You can't replace the items we had in the house that reflects our entire history. All the photos from our community involvement, the appreciative certificates and plaques that we had from our community," said David Reeve, a spokesperson for the club.

It was a gathering place for a brotherhood formed through years of sacrifice and service.

"Our brothers who are fallen; their memorials are in there," Reeve said.
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Fort Bragg Soldier's Death Under Investigation

82nd Airborne paratrooper dies near Fort Bragg
Army Times
By: Charlsy Panzino
February 27, 2017

A paratrooper from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, died Thursday in an off-post incident, according to an Army news release.

Spc. Johnathon D. Poole, of Oxford, Iowa, was assigned to Delta Company, 2nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division.

The Fayetteville Police Department is investigating the incident, according to a spokesman with the 82nd Airborne Division. The nature of the incident was not announced as of mid-day Monday, and the police department did not respond immediately to Army Times' request for comment.

The 26-year-old infantryman joined the Army in February 2012 and was assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division in February 2013.
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Veteran Left on Floor in North Carolina VA?

COUPLE DEPLORES HEARTBREAKING SCENE AT DURHAM VA HOSPITAL
ABC 11 News
John Camp
February 27, 2017

"He was visibly in pain," said Hanna. "And I think the thing with that that disturbed me so much was that there were people just sitting there acting like nothing was happening and he was sitting right in front of them and they were not even acknowledging that it was happening."

DURHAM, North Carolina (WTVD) -- It's not hard to find stories of headaches -- and heartache -- when it comes to the VA. What makes this one different is it has pictures to go with it.

Marine veteran Stephen McMenamin and his wife, Hanna, moved to Raleigh from their home in Milwaukee a few months ago and already have amassed an armload of personal stories about long wait times at the Durham VA hospital -- both to get appointments in the first place and in the waiting room once at the hospital.

But they said it was what they saw Friday that moved them to take pictures and post them to Facebook.

"It was very upsetting," Stephen McMenamin said. He and his wife said they saw a handful of older veterans mistreated and ignored during the seven hours they were at the hospital, including an aged-veteran in a wheelchair.
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Fort Hood Tries Something New Against Suicides...Talking and Listening

Soldiers take fresh approach in discussing feelings that could lead to suicide
Killeen Daily Herald
Capt. Kevin Sandell
504 Military Intelligence Brigade
February 27, 2017

Maj. Chuck Lowman, the 504th’s brigade chaplain, said the initial planning process brought together representatives from the Army’s Family Advocacy Program, Army Community Services, the Fort Hood Suicide Prevention Office, the Behavioral Health Department at Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center, and unit chaplains to discuss the event. He said the group consensus was “to get at the heart of what would create such despair within a person.

Col. Laura Knapp, far right, commander of the 504th Military Intelligence Brigade at Fort Hood, discusses the concepts of vulnerability and shame with soldiers and leaders Thursday, Feb. 16, 2017, at the Resiliency Leaders Development Forum at the West Fort Hood gym. The event was designed to get soldiers discussing factors towards suicide, and how to leverage camaraderie and team-spirit to defeat suicide.

FORT HOOD — Soldiers in military intelligence units on post recently took a fresh approach to talking openly about shame, vulnerability and similar feelings, including some that are known to lead to suicide.

The Feb. 16 event, known as resiliency training in the Army, touched on weighty concepts not often seen in traditional Army training, but allowed soldiers to open a dialogue about difficult but universal emotions.

Modeled after the brigade’s internal Leaders Professional Development program on the book, “Daring Greatly,” by Dr. Brene Brown, the forum took soldiers out of their comfort zones to discuss perceptions about vulnerability and shame. Both factors are leading contributors to behavioral health concerns, including suicide.

During the forum’s opening comments, Command Sgt. Maj. Ryan Hipsley, the highest-ranking enlisted soldier for Fort Hood’s 504th Military Intelligence Brigade, said the purpose of the day was to get people talking about an uncomfortable topic in an unfamiliar setting. In the end, however, he said the experience would benefit soldiers and their units.
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Air Force Gives Assaulter Slap for 8 Victims?

Air Force officer's sexual assault sentence called lenient
Associated Press
February 26, 2017 SAN ANTONIO

Military prosecutors originally lodged seven charges and 17 specifications of misconduct against him. Conviction on all those charges could have resulted in more than 87 years in prison.

An Air Force noncommissioned officer convicted of misconduct with eight women, including three who accused him of sexually assaulting them, was sentenced to three months confinement and another month of hard labor, a punishment a victims' rights advocate called "shockingly light."

Tech. Sgt. Anthony Lizana, 35, also was reduced in rank to airman first class and was given a dishonorable discharge Saturday night at his trial at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland.
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Sailor Shot and Killed at Oceana Naval Air Station Was Volunteer Firefighter

Navy identifies sailor shot and killed at Oceana Naval Air Station
The Virginian-Pilot
By Courtney Mabeus
17 hrs ago

Before entering the Navy, Wright, who was believed to be in his early 20s, was a volunteer firefighter with the Franktown Fire Protection District, about 35 miles southeast of Denver.

A sailor who crashed through Gate 2 of Oceana Naval Air Station late Friday made it all the way to the hangar for the squadron he worked for before he was shot and killed by a master at arms, U.S. Navy Fleet Forces Command said Sunday night.

Seaman Robert Colton Wright enlisted in the Navy in May 2016 and was assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron 81, based at Oceana, since Dec. 27, according to a Navy biography. He worked as an information systems technician for the squadron, which flies F/A-18E Super Hornets, according to the unit’s website.

Wright’s death occurred after a string of events that began with a hit-and-run about a mile from Oceana at the intersection of Dam Neck and Drakesmile roads just before 10 p.m. Friday.
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First Responders Need to Learn PTSD is a Survivor Thing

PTSD Hits First Responders Harder
Combat PTSD Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
February 26, 2017

Suicide numbers edging up in Mass. on the Daily News out of Newburyport focused on a lot of details behind suicides. Within the article are the usual statistics, gender, age and means by which they ended their lives. 

PTSD is a survivor thing

"One thing, if anything, taken away from this article is this part. “They feel like they’ve lost all hope and they don’t have options. Sometimes just having someone on the phone to listen and talk to is enough to turn them around.” Sen. Barbara L’Italien.

When I trained as a Chaplain with the IFOC I focused on First Responders simply because, while civilians can be hit by PTSD from one event, they face it on a daily basis, actually subjecting themselves to what the rest of us avoid.

There are not enough people trying to take care of them. They get hit harder because they feel they are the ones who are supposed to be stronger, tougher than the rest of us, but what they do not realize is that at their core, they care more than the rest of us. 

Think about it. They are willing to die for each other and total strangers on a daily basis. When they are not facing the events that could end their lives, they are thinking about the ones that may come as much as they are remembering the ones that already happened.

Massachusetts is trying to do something about that.

One proposal, by Sen. Barbara L’Italien, D-Andover, focuses on law enforcement officers who, according to statistics, are more likely to commit suicide than be killed in the line of duty. The bill was filed on behalf of Janice McCarthy, an Andover women whose husband, Paul, a former state police captain, died from suicide in 2006. The bill would create a new training program for police to recognize signs of post-traumatic stress disorder and suicidal behavior.

One thing they can try to do is have more folks trained in helping the responders. It has to be specialized training and sanctioned by the Police and Fire Departments, because they are closed off to the rest of the population, wanting to take care of their own. This, most of the time, is beneficial, but when you are too close to those you need to help, that emotional connection tends to get in the way and adds a heavier burden to the caregivers.

As more and more people understand what PTSD is, more and more people are talking openly about it. There is power in the numbers but there is also a downside to it. Talking about it without investing the time in learning about it, has done more harm than good. It is great to care but when you don't care enough to learn first and act afterwards, you are part of the problem and one of the reasons they lose hope.

I hope this helps you understand what they need to be reminded of.

PTSD First Responder Carries Heavy Burden "When Those Sirens Are Gone"

Kevin Davison, Nova Scotia First Responder, Writes Song About 'Heavy Burden' Of The Job
Huffington Post Canada
Maham Abedi
Posted: 02/25/2017

"You can't unsee the things you've seen. It keeps going on, when those sirens are gone." Kevin Davison

Kevin Davison is a volunteer firefighter.

First responders are ordinary people, but they're faced with the extraordinary challenges everyday.

Nova Scotia firefighter and paramedic Kevin Davison knows exactly what it's like — he has spent decades rescuing people, but also faced tragic loses. The gruesome scenes from his job often keep him awake at night, and at times he can't shake them off during the day. Though he's never been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Davison says he identifies with many of the symptoms.

"There have been times I've been to a major accident on the highway and it's taken me days to get my sleep back in order," Davison told The Huffington Post Canada. "Some of the things that you experience kind of stay with you."

After decades as a paramedic, Davison now focuses on his music career and volunteers as a firefighter in New Minas, N.S. He says music can be an escape during stressful times.

"I can forget about all the bad things that have happened, and just do music. I find it very therapeutic."
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When Those Sirens Are Gone Official Music Video
Kevin Davison

Aussie Diggers Deal With PTSD Horsing Around

How horses are helping Aussie diggers deal with post-traumatic stress disorder
Daily Telegraph
EXCLUSIVE, Jordan Baker
The Sunday Telegraph
February 25, 2017

“Even in times of high stress, ­afterwards you can think back and know there is another side, that you don’t always have to be hyper-vigilant or stressed or angry.” Ben Tyne

EVER since he returned from his army tour of Afghanistan, Ben Tyne has lived with the mental torture that is post-traumatic stress disorder. The rage, depression and loneliness are relentless, so any escape is precious.

There are currently limited services to assist servicemen and women who return from service. Picture: Sam Ruttyn

To that end, Mr Tyne spends as much time as he can with horses.

“It’s very honest,” he said. “There is no judgment and no ridicule.”

Equine-assisted therapy is rapidly growing in popularity as a way to calm and treat people with ­addiction and post-traumatic stress disorder.

The theory is that horses are ­socially sophisticated animals, and deeply responsive to emotional cues. In order to successfully interact with the horses, patients must work on regulating their own emotions, and keep their anger in check.
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Soldier standoffs: Police Responding to Crisis After Combat

Soldier standoffs: Police, community respond to scars of war
Killeen Daily Herald
By Josh Sullivan and David Bryant | Herald staff writers
February 25, 2017

“It’s a case where the individual has bad PTSD, so confrontations bring back previous confrontations with the enemy, and there are proponents of a flashback that drives back their current behavior. Those are the sad ones.” Dr. Thomas Newton

Eric J. Shelton | Herald Soldier standoffs: Police, community respond to scars of war
FILE — Police officers draw their weapons during a crisis response after residents reported a man threatened others with a gun. Police have to deal with a medley of factors, from post-traumatic stress disorder to how long a veteran served, is taken into account in an effort to preserve life.

About 6:15 p.m. on a Friday, police responded to a call that a 30-year-old man had barricaded himself in his southwest Killeen home. The Killeen Police Department and the special weapons and tactics team engaged the man for nearly 10 hours before the standoff ended around 4:30 a.m.

While Army officials confirmed the man in the Feb. 10 standoff with Killeen police was a former Fort Hood soldier, information regarding the mental health status of individuals involved in similar incidents cannot be released, as it is protected health information, Fort Hood spokesman Christopher Haug said.

The man was taken into custody for evaluation after the standoff ended, according to Killeen Police Department spokeswoman Ofelia Miramontez. That’s not an unusual outcome for people who threaten self-harm, as long as there is no one else involved in the incident, she said.

Standoffs with police that involve either active-duty soldiers or veterans are nothing new. On Aug. 3, police shot a man in Copperas Cove after he aimed a rifle at them. On May 2, 2016, KPD was involved in a standoff from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. with an armed and suicidal active-duty soldier about 4 miles north of the Feb. 10 standoff. On March 23, 2015, KPD responded to a standoff in northwest Killeen with a man who neighbors said was a veteran. KPD handled these situations without incident.

That’s not as simple as it may seem, because police have to deal with a medley of factors. Everything from post-traumatic stress disorder to how long a veteran served is taken into account in an effort to carry out the preservation of life.
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UK Amputee Forced to Wait For Limbs--Third Time

Fury as MoD scheme to give disabled war veterans hi-tech limbs is cancelled THREE times
MIRROR UK
BY MARTYN HALLEDAN WARBURTON
25 FEB 2017

Officials at the Ministry of Defence say they are unable to say when the trial – which fuses bones with titanium rods – will start again

A scheme that could give dozens of limbless war veterans new legs on the NHS has been cancelled three times, the Sunday People can reveal.

Defence chiefs admitted a 27-patient surgical programme has been delayed due to issues with the “equipment supply chain”.

It is a blow to brave veterans who have suffered devastating injuries in conflict zones across the world including Iraq and Afghanistan.
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Sailor Arrest for Being AWOL Needed Breast Pump For New Baby?

Navy: Arrest of AWOL sailor and new mother was 'last resort'
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.
Feb 24, 2017

Later, the judge told the newspaper his assistant bought a breast pump for $42.39 and gave it to Gnecco.

A 24-year-old U.S. Navy sailor who had a baby in August was arrested and remains on a military hold after being accused of deserting her post, court records show.

Ana Lucia Gnecco was arrested Wednesday at her parents' home in Hollywood, Florida, after failing to report on Jan. 14 to her base in Portsmouth, Virginia, where she is a seaman quartermaster and worked in the reception and medical support at the Naval Medical Center.

Her father, Armando Rodriguez, told the SunSentinel he didn't know she left the Navy earlier than she should have.

"She basically went AWOL; that's what the Navy is claiming," he told the newspaper.

The arrest was the last resort, said Christina Johnson, a Navy public affairs officer for the medical center. "She was in contact with her command and with the Navy's arm that would bring her back to duty. All efforts were made to get her back to work, but she chose to stay there."

When someone misses a return day by 30 days, "it's considered desertion," Johnson said.
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Missouri Firefighter’s Suicide Highlights PTSD

Missouri Firefighter’s Suicide Highlights PTSD 
Death of firefighter raises attention towards awareness and treatment 02/23/2017

ST. LOUIS (KSDK) - Beth McMullin never imagined that someday, she would be married to a firefighter.