Veteran Suicide Press Released Removed Truth!

More BS with the number!! Who did it come from? A Vietnam veteran!

“Veterans are returning from combat and committing suicide at a rate of 22 per day!” Delate emphatically declared. “Awareness and prevention is key, and I am doing everything I can to educate veterans and civilians alike to make a difference.”

Educate veterans and civilians on a fabrication?

So many people running around the country taking about veterans committing suicide without a single clue, yet reporters just let them talk as if it is fact. Will folks ever get it right?

Did he bother to read the report to know that is not true?

MEMORIAL DAY is an intimate portrayal of a veteran suffering from the wounds of war and on the verge of suicide who, through his story and numerous characters, experiences a transformation and redemption that offers hope and promise to new and old veterans and civilians alike. Delate wrote the theatrical version, which has been performed in New York, Los Angeles, and Hanoi.

Local Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial Day Addresses PTSD and Suicide press release didn't bother to mention that the majority of the veterans committing suicide are over the age of 50! Yep, that's right. But had anyone bothered to actually read the report, they'd know that. Save guess that had this been actually an important enough topic, they would have actually read the report!

Take a look at this and then tell me how all this "awareness" has done any good?

Family Lost Veteran Dad Then Lost Mementos to Thief

Mourning Merced family asks thief to return mementos of veteran father who died this weekend
ABC 30 News
By Nathalie Granda
Tuesday, May 16, 2017

MERCED, Calif. (KFSN) -- A family mourning their father is pleading for help after their final memories of him were stolen.

Lawrence Sarginson died Saturday, and his family says several mementos were stolen from their car just a few days later.

The Merced County Sheriff's Department says they're still looking into the incidents but no arrests have been made yet. The family said several items were stolen from the vehicle, but the only ones they want back are the last few memories of their father.

The Sarginson family should be planning a funeral for their father, but the family had to deal with a theft shortly after he died.

"It twists the knife a little, but more from what already is a difficult situation," Lawrence's son Kevin Sarginson said.
read more here

Billy Ray Cyrus to Honor Vietnam Veteran During Rolling Thunder Ride for Freedom

Billy Ray Cyrus Owes His Career to a Vietnam Veteran
FOX News
By PopZette Staff
May 16, 2017

'Weston Lee died serving our country, and we should all be forever grateful for his service,' said the singer

Billy Ray Cyrus says he owes his success to a Vietnam veteran.

Cyrus will perform on May 28 in Washington, D.C., during the Rolling Thunder Ride for Freedom. It’s an annual motorcycle rally that ends at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and honors fallen servicemen and women.

He will perform the tune “Some Gave All,” which is about serving in the military.

“This is a full-circle moment, because a week after ‘Some Gave All’ came out, I stood at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall during Rolling Thunder with Don Von Tress, who is not only the writer of ‘Achy Breaky Heart’ but also a Vietnam veteran. That man and that song changed my life,” Cyrus said in a press release.
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Tampa Homeless Veterans Relocated After Invasion of Bedbugs

Veterans moved out after bedbug infestation hits Tampa homeless shelter 
Tampa Bay Times 
Howard Altman Times Staff Writer 
Tuesday, May 16, 2017

TAMPA — Nearly three dozen veterans staying at a north Tampa homeless shelter have been temporarily moved to other facilities because of a bedbug infestation, according to the shelter and Department of Veterans Affairs officials.

The outbreak was discovered May 9, according to Ed Drohan, a spokesman for the James A. Haley VA Medical Center, which has a contract with the New Beginnings of Tampa charity to house 33 veterans at 1402 E Chilkoot Ave.

Hospital staff worked with New Beginnings to relocate all the veterans who wanted other local accommodations, Drohan said. A few have elected to stay at the shelter. Relocated residents' clothing and other possessions were treated to prevent pests from being transferred to the other facilities.

The veterans who were moved should start returning Wednesday, according to Tom Atchison, founder and chief executive of New Beginnings.

The decision to move the veterans was made by Haley leadership as soon as they became aware of the scope of the problem, Drohan said.
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Vietnam Veterans Still Fighting For Justice For All Generations

"Vietnam Veterans of American called the GAO report “immensely disturbing” and again called on President Trump to pardon affected veterans." From GAO report on The Hill

But fighting for justice is something Vietnam veterans know all too well. In 2014 the Hartford Courant reported that there were 70,000 Vietnam veterans with PTSD also kicked out. It was because of Conley Monk fighting for justice that then Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel decided to do something about it. In case your wondering, Monk fought for 43 years!!!!

GAO: Thousands discharged for military misconduct had mental health diagnosisThe HillBY REBECCA KHEEL05/16/17

The top government watchdog said Tuesday that nearly a quarter of U.S. troops discharged for misconduct were given other-than-honorable discharges despite previously being diagnosed with a mental health condition.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) in its report faulted branches of the Department of Defense (DOD) for having policies inconsistent with — or poor enforcement of — official Pentagon rules for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injury (TBI) or sexual trauma. 

Such discharges haunt veterans for the rest of their lives, advocates say, by denying them veterans benefits and casting a stigma that can affect civilian life, such as finding employment.

According to the GAO, 57,141 of the 91,764 troops separated for misconduct from 2011 through 2015 had been diagnosed with PTSD, TBI or another condition at least two years before their discharge.

Of those with a diagnosis, 13,283, or about 23 percent, received other-than-honorable discharges.

Among the inconsistencies found by the GAO, the Navy does not require a medical exam for certain sailors being separated in lieu of court-martial to determine whether a PTSD or TBI diagnosis is a mitigating factor in the misconduct. Such an exam is Pentagon policy.

The Army and Marine Corps, meanwhile, may not follow to their own screening, training and counseling policies, according to the GAO.read more here

Well then, I guess that is supposed to say it all, but not even close to covering how many veterans served, were wounded and then betrayed. You know, the ones members of Congress have known about all along.

Translation: they got kicked out of the military without an Honorable Discharge.

According to data obtained by KPCC from the Defense Manpower Data Center, more than 615,000 Army, Navy, Marine, and Air Force veterans were discharged with less-than-honorable discharges from 1990-2015.

When Will We Stop Paying For PTSD Lab Rats?

Gee do you think if they stop studying rats they may actually learn something about humans with PTSD? It is a hell of a lot more complicated than fear!

“This study, done using a mouse model, expands our understanding of how associative fear memory for a relevant context is encoded in the brain,” said Cho, the lead author of the study and a member of the UCR School of Medicine’s Center for Glial-Neuronal Interactions, “and could inform the development of novel therapeutics to reduce pathological fear in PTSD.”

read more of this here

PTSD Meds May Increase Dementia Risk?

With all this "awareness" going on, most do not know this part, 

A deeper look at PTSDPost traumatic stress disorder encapsulates multiple symptoms related to a traumatic event. The National Institute of Mental Health noted that PTSD can be both acute and chronic. However, the NIMH noted that individuals must have symptoms including flashbacks of a traumatic event, avoidance and mood changes for up to one month for it to be identified as PTSD. When these symptoms last for a shorter amount of time, it can be acute stress disorder.

but now you do and it may help understand why some folks claim they were "cured." Reminder, if the symptoms after traumatic events do not subside or go away, get professional help as soon as possible AND HEAL.


How PTSD medication can increase the risk of dementia Medication may increase the likelihood of dementia in older patients.
by Interim HealthCare
Published: Monday, May 15, 2017

A new study from the American Geriatrics Society may have identified another risk factor that could increase the likelihood of dementia. Individuals taking medication to cope with post-traumatic stress disorder could increase their risk for dementia later in life.

A closer look at the study
Researchers looked at over 3 million participants aged 56 and older. The study focused on individuals working with veterans. According to NPR, there continues to be a stigma for individuals who have seen combat seeking out treatment for PTSD. However, the stigma of seeking out treatment for PTSD is beginning to dissipate.

The study tracked patients since 2003 over nine years. The results found that individuals taking medication to cope with PTSD, including selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and antidepressants, were more likely to suffer from dementia later in life than individuals who didn't take these medications. While researchers noted the connection between these medications and dementia, they acknowledge that more research is needed to learn about the relationship.
read more here

Veterans Are Homeless in Canada Too

VETS Canada puts boots on the ground to help homeless veterans
Calgary Herald
Alanna Smith
Published on: May 14, 2017

Shortly after the brief interaction, Lowther and his wife began VETS Canada in 2010, on a mission to raise awareness and end homelessness for veterans. In 2014, they were awarded a contract by Veterans Affairs to be an approved service provider for veteran outreach.

A sharp contrast between military service and civilian life is leaving some veterans vulnerable to homelessness.

That’s why the Calgary division of VETS Canada is offering ground support during the second-annual Coast to Coast Tour of Duty, in which volunteers walk the streets in 17 Canadian cities to locate and aid homeless and at-risk veterans.

“I think they just want to feel like part of our society and feel proud about what they have accomplished in the forces. That’s what it’s all about, making sure they are taken care of and that they know we appreciate everything they’ve done, not just once a year on Nov. 11, but all year round,” said Steve Gilliss, lead of Calgary’s VETS Canada chapter.

When a volunteer locates a veteran who has accepted help, they are immediately moved off the street to a motel or hotel. Then they are given a needs assessment, which identifies when they served and what social programs they might be entitled to, including benefits from Veterans Affairs Canada.

The veterans are also connected to health care, mental health representatives and addictions support, if needed. Volunteers also offer support in finding employment and housing options.
read more here

Devoted Husband-Homeless Veteran Needs Place to Stay in Colorado

Homeless veteran looks for way to live near wife’s nursing home
BY TRIBUNE MEDIA WIRE
MAY 13, 2017

After 34 years of marriage and facing tremendous adversity, Steve Morrow's devotion doesn’t stop.

MORRISON, Colo. -- A recently homeless man wants nothing more than to be near his beloved wife who is living in a nursing home in Morrison, Colorado.

After losing his job and becoming homeless, Steve Morrow’s future is uncertain. After 34 years of marriage, the love between Morrow and his wife is as strong as ever.

“I love you so much,” Morrow told his wife Janet outside the nursing home Thursday afternoon.

"I love you so much, too,” Janet Morrow replied.

The proof of Steve Morrow's love can be found in a handwritten note left at the post office. In it, Morrow asks for a place to park his van near the nursing home.

“So that I can see my wife every day,” Morrow wrote.

Morrow, a 64-year-old Air Force veteran, worked for decades at a Denver-area box manufacturing plant until 18 months ago.

“They called everyone into the break room and said this is it, we’re closing the doors,” Morrow said.

A month earlier, Janet Morrow, who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease, was forced into a nursing home.
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Deployment didn't stop Air Force Sergeant from College Graduation

Air Force sergeant graduates college via Skype
WGRZ News
Jeff Preval
May 14, 2017

"First, I would like to thank President Conway-Turner, as well as, the faculty and staff of Buffalo State," Winters said. "I would also like to thank my family, as well as my wonderful fiancee Kathleen Peterson and her family who is attending the ceremony here today, tomorrow we'll begin a new challenge taking on the world head on."

BUFFALO, NY - Some very special accommodations were made Saturday morning so a Buff State senior, who is abroad serving in the military, could graduate on time.

U.S. Air Force Sergeant Adam Winters, who's from Rochester, was deployed to Southwest Asia three months ago, as he began his final semester at Buff State. Winters is an aerial port specialist, loading cargo and passengers onto military aircraft. The deployment meant Winters would have to take online courses abroad, so he could graduate on time.
read more here