MSPB forces VA to take back fired official, VA exploring all options under new accountability authorities
08/09/2017 03:02 PM EDT
On August 2, the Vice Chairman of the federal Merit System Protection Board ordered a stay of VA’s removal of the former director of the Washington, D.C. VA Medical Center.
MSPB’s stay order requires VA to return Brian Hawkins, fired on July 28, to work pending the Office of Special Counsel’s review of Hawkins’ claim that he was wrongly terminated.
VA has complied with the order and returned Hawkins to the payroll, but to an administrative position at the VA headquarters in Washington rather than to a patient-care position at the VA Medical Center.
“No judge who has never run a hospital and never cared for our nation’s Veterans will force me to put an employee back in a position when he allowed the facility to pose potential safety risks to our Veterans,” said VA Secretary Dr. David J. Shulkin. “Protecting our Veterans is my most important responsibility.”
The stay order came one day after the VA Office of Inspector General (VAOIG) issued a new report finding that Hawkins violated VA policy by sending sensitive VA information from his work email to unsecured private email accounts belonging to him and his wife.
VA will quickly make an assessment of Mr. Hawkins’ employment using the new evidence and armed with the new authorities recently provided by the VA Accountability Act signed into law by President Trump in June.
Wednesday, August 9, 2017
Navy Veteran Edward Merrick Laid to Rest by SWAT Team
Killeen: Navy veteran with no family laid to rest
KWTX 10 News
By Sam DeLeon
August 8, 2017
August 8, 2017
KILLEEN, Texas (KWTX) Mildred Wilson was the caretaker for Edward Merrick, a Big Spring native and Navy veteran who died last week with no family to lay him to rest.
"People do care for those that have no family. I considered him part of my family and to know others will accept him that way as is wonderful, it really is," said Wilson
Today, Central Texas residents, local veterans and members of the Williamson County SWAT Team were at Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery in Killeen to give Merrick a burial with military honors.
The officers stepped in as pallbearers for Merrick.
Vermont Mom Goes On Mission After Hearing 'Your Son Took His Own Life'
They are willing to endure any hardship that comes to serve this nation. Then come back feeling like a stranger among family and friends.
They fight for our country. Then they don't think they are not worthy of anyone fighting for them, especially when they cannot fight for themselves.
They risk their lives, willing to die for those they serve with. Then believe they do not want to bother any of them with their problems.
They finally understand they need help but then fail to believe they deserve it. All too often, afraid if they get in line, they'll push back someone they think deserves it more.
When they come home, and folks believe they are finally safe, that is when the words no mother wants to hear rips her apart.
'Your Son Took His Own Life': A Veteran's Suicide Set His Mother On A Mission To Help Others
Vermont Public Radio
Annie Russell and Henry Epp
August 8, 2017
In Vermont, of all the deaths by gunshot wounds in the last six years, more than a quarter were suicides by current or former members of the armed forces. Even though Veterans Affairs knows that soldiers are at greater risk of taking their own lives, it’s difficult to intervene successfully.
Valerie Pallotta, whose son Josh died by suicide in 2014, now runs a fund in her son's name to raise money for a treatment center.
HENRY EPP / VPR
Now, one Vermont mom who lost her son has made it her mission to end veteran suicide.
Josh Pallotta, 25, was one of those Vermont veterans who took his own life. He died in 2014. His mother Valerie Pallotta of Colchester is trying to create a space where veterans can socialize and also get treatment.
"When you get home, you have to play catch-up. It's not easy. It's not easy to adjust to a completely different world." – Brian Barrows, Army veteran
read more here
We can talk all we want about raising awareness but no one wants to talk about the only question that isn't getting answered. What good does it do?
All this awareness hasn't changed the outcome. Then next question is, why are we tolerating any of it? Why are we not standing up to our elected officials and demanding accountability from them? Why are we so willing to settle for Moms, Dads, Wives and Husbands hearing the words they thought they no longer had to fear?
We can talk all we want about raising awareness but no one wants to talk about the only question that isn't getting answered. What good does it do?
All this awareness hasn't changed the outcome. Then next question is, why are we tolerating any of it? Why are we not standing up to our elected officials and demanding accountability from them? Why are we so willing to settle for Moms, Dads, Wives and Husbands hearing the words they thought they no longer had to fear?
Tuesday, August 8, 2017
Take A Different View of You
Take a different view of you
PTSD Patrol
Kathie Costos
August 6, 2017
Sometimes it may feel like you are driving alone, far behind everyone else.
You decided where you want to go. You found out the best way to get there. Picked music to listen to. Pulled over to get gas to get wherever you are heading for.
Without warning it happens and then, what was behind you, catches up.
PTSD Patrol
Kathie Costos
August 6, 2017
Sometimes it may feel like you are driving alone, far behind everyone else.
You decided where you want to go. You found out the best way to get there. Picked music to listen to. Pulled over to get gas to get wherever you are heading for.
Without warning it happens and then, what was behind you, catches up.
It can be a shock to see something that isn't there anymore. It can make you feel as if you've lost your mind.
The choice is, do you keep going alone or do you find someone to share the driving with?
Ever count how many times you asked folks "How are you?" Ever ask yourself the same question? So how are you? Still wondering what to do to make sense out of all this? Still trying to find a way to feel better and make peace?
Homeless Vietnam Veteran Escorted With Honor to Rest
Homeless Vietnam vet honored by Funeral home with final free farewell
FOX 2 Now St. Louis
Staff Writer
August 8, 2017
ST. LOUIS, Mo. A homeless veteran will get a special final farewell this morning courtesy of a local funeral home and you can be a part of it.
The owners of Michel Funeral Home on Southwest Avenue are donating services for Sergeant John Beard, a Vietnam veteran who had become homeless in his civilian life. He was 67 when he died recently of cancer.
Beard served in the United States Air Force in Vietnam from 1968 to 1971. He received four different awards and later transferred to the Air Force Reserves.
read more here
read more here
New England Veterans Alliance "Cannabis Gateway Drug to Wellness"
The New England Veteran's Alliance Is Using Cannabis As A Gateway Drug To Wellness
WAAF
107.5 FM
August 8, 2017
To Derek Cloutier and Devin Tellier of New England Veterans Alliance, cannabis IS a gateway drug. But as Devin says in this interview,
"The gate swings the other way"
Both are veterans (Derek, Marines, Devin, Army) and have done tours of duty in Iraq. Both came home with personal struggles from their experiences. Both have used cannabis to help them fight addictions and personal demons.
Through NEVA they are helping other Vets and their families do the same. Check out the podcast above to hear more details about their mission and experiences.
DAV Veteran of the Year, Iraq Veteran-Doctor With PTSD
Brookfield doctor Kenneth Lee honored as Disabled Veteran of the Year
Brookfield Elm Grove Now
Geoff Bruce
August 8, 2017
CITY OF BROOKFIELD – Veteran, doctor, proud father of two and now the 2017 Outstanding Disabled Veteran of the Year.
The lifetime accomplishments of Dr. Kenneth K. Lee continue to accumulate. The longtime city of Brookfield resident was recognized in New Orleans by Disabled American Veterans with the award July 29.
“The Outstanding Disabled Veteran of the Year has been around for many years here at DAV and each year we select the most deserving veteran,” DAV National Voluntary Services Director John Kleindienst said. “What we’re looking for is individuals who have overcome a severe obstacle in their lives from military service.”
Lee, a native of South Korea, was deployed to Iraq as the commander of the Army’s Company B, 118th Area Support Medical Battalion, but was injured in 2004 by a suicide car bomber. Lee suffered an open head traumatic brain injury and severe shrapnel wounds to his legs. He was evacuated back to the U.S. and diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
“Everyone kind of works towards a certain goal in their life to make a difference in what you do,” Lee said. “You don’t do it to get an award, but you do it to make things happen.”
Prior to his deployment, Lee worked as a rehabilitation specialist at the Milwaukee VA Medical Center. Despite that experience, his own recovery was much harder than he expected.
“Coming back from Iraq, it was more difficult than I imagined," Lee said. "As a physician, I thought I could handle a lot of stuff, but it turned out to be not. There were a lot of challenges at home both dealing with family and everything else.”
Lee, 52, credits his own patients, fellow veterans and especially his family with helping him to get through that difficult period.
read more here
Brookfield Elm Grove Now
Geoff Bruce
August 8, 2017
CITY OF BROOKFIELD – Veteran, doctor, proud father of two and now the 2017 Outstanding Disabled Veteran of the Year.
The lifetime accomplishments of Dr. Kenneth K. Lee continue to accumulate. The longtime city of Brookfield resident was recognized in New Orleans by Disabled American Veterans with the award July 29.
(Photo: Submitted photo by Emily Kask/DAV)
“The Outstanding Disabled Veteran of the Year has been around for many years here at DAV and each year we select the most deserving veteran,” DAV National Voluntary Services Director John Kleindienst said. “What we’re looking for is individuals who have overcome a severe obstacle in their lives from military service.”
Lee, a native of South Korea, was deployed to Iraq as the commander of the Army’s Company B, 118th Area Support Medical Battalion, but was injured in 2004 by a suicide car bomber. Lee suffered an open head traumatic brain injury and severe shrapnel wounds to his legs. He was evacuated back to the U.S. and diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
“Everyone kind of works towards a certain goal in their life to make a difference in what you do,” Lee said. “You don’t do it to get an award, but you do it to make things happen.”
Prior to his deployment, Lee worked as a rehabilitation specialist at the Milwaukee VA Medical Center. Despite that experience, his own recovery was much harder than he expected.
“Coming back from Iraq, it was more difficult than I imagined," Lee said. "As a physician, I thought I could handle a lot of stuff, but it turned out to be not. There were a lot of challenges at home both dealing with family and everything else.”
Lee, 52, credits his own patients, fellow veterans and especially his family with helping him to get through that difficult period.
read more here
Monday, August 7, 2017
Widow Wants To Know Why Husband Died At Brockton VA
How did this Marine veteran overdose at a Brockton VA hospital?
The Enterprise
By Tom Relihan
Posted Aug 5, 2017
Marine Corps veteran Hank Brandon Lee was found unresponsive in his room and was later pronounced dead at Good Samaritan Medical Center on March 4. He had overdosed on fentanyl, a powerful synthetic painkiller, according to his death certificate. Now, his widow wants answers.
He would need them, she thought, because he was nearly 1,500 miles away from his home in Saucier, Mississippi, in the Brockton Veterans Affairs Medical Center’s psychiatric unit being treated for severe post-traumatic stress disorder.
Later that day, she sent him a message on Facebook, but received no response.
“You going to call me anytime today or are you sleeping again!” she wrote.
Pallas Wahl, a spokesperson for the VA, said Saturday that it is still not known how Lee acquired the drugs.
“Sadly, Lance Cpl. Lee was a victim of the opioid epidemic that kills nearly six people daily in Massachusetts,” Wahl said. “Lance Cpl. Lee suffered a fatal overdose of fentanyl while a patient at the Brockton campus. Fentanyl was not prescribed to any patient within our inpatient psychiatry unit, and Lance Cpl. Lee had no personal visitors during his inpatient psychiatry stay.”
read more here
Pentagon Says TBI and PTSD Troops Not Getting Proper Care...Again
Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on suicides is one of those videos that everyone needed to watch, but hey, Facebook is more fun. Right? Then again, August 14, 2007 I was wondering why the press wasn't on suicide watch so that maybe, just maybe someone would have done something that would have actually worked. Then again, that was assuming they wanted to do what would work instead of what was easiest.
Troops at risk for suicide not getting needed care, report findsThen again, all you had to do was read THE WARRIOR SAW, SUICIDES AFTER WAR, but don't feel bad. No one else read it, or did anything about any of it.
USA TODAY
Tom Vanden Brook
Published Aug. 7, 2017
WASHINGTON — Pentagon health care providers failed to perform critical follow-up for many troops diagnosed with depression and post-traumatic stress syndrome who also were at high risk for suicide, according to a new study released Monday by the RAND Corp.
Just 30% of troops with depression and 54% with PTSD received appropriate care after they were deemed at risk of harming themselves. The report, commissioned by the Pentagon, looked at the cases of 39,000 troops who had been diagnosed in 2013 with depression, PTSD or both conditions. USA TODAY received an advance copy of the report.
“We want to ensure that they get connected with behavioral health care,” said Kimberly Hepner, the report’s lead author and a senior behavioral scientist at RAND, a non-partisan, non-profit research organization. “The most immediate action — removal of firearms — can help to reduce risk of suicide attempts.”
The report, titled Quality of Care for PTSD and Depression in the Military Health System, also found that one third of troops with PTSD were prescribed with a medication harmful to their condition.From 2001 to 2014, about 2.6 million troops have deployed to combat zones in Afghanistan and Iraq. Estimates on how many have been affected by post-traumatic stress vary widely — from 4% to 20%, according to the report. Meanwhile, suicide among troops spiked crisis proportions. The rate of suicide doubled between 2005 and 2012, according to the Pentagon. It has stabilized but has not diminished; the rate remains about the same for the part of the American public that it compares with, about 20 per 100,000 people.
The key intervention to prevent suicide involves talking to the service member about their access to firearms, Hepner said. It’s also one of the most sensitive, given the nature of their work and that many troops own their own guns.
“This is important for service members because suicide death by firearms is the most common method,” Hepner said. “So the provider needs to have that discussion about access to firearms. Not only their service weapon but their access to personal weapons.”
read more here
Sunday, August 6, 2017
Iraq Veteran-Amputee More Proud of Surviving PTSD
'I wear my scars as a badge of honour': Iraqi war heroine says she's more proud of surviving PTSD than the bomb blast that buried her alive and claimed her leg
Daily Mail
Unity Blott
August 6, 2017
Hannah Campbell, 33, from Northampton, was injured in Basra in 2007
Blast left her with serious abdomen injuries, and a leg amputation followed
The former Army lance corporal defied the odds to have a second child
Despite her traumatic experience she says she's most proud of surviving PTSD
Former Army lance corporal Hannah Campbell, from Northampton, was given just a one in ten chance of surviving the horrific injuries she sustained after being buried alive in the 2007 Basra attack.
But the 33-year-old amputee, who has since battled suicide and post-traumatic stress disorder, now sees her scars as a 'badge of honour'.
She told the Sunday People: 'I don’t see these things as flaws any more, I see them as a part of my history and part of me.'
read more here
Daily Mail
Unity Blott
August 6, 2017
Hannah Campbell, 33, from Northampton, was injured in Basra in 2007
Blast left her with serious abdomen injuries, and a leg amputation followed
The former Army lance corporal defied the odds to have a second child
Despite her traumatic experience she says she's most proud of surviving PTSD
A mother-of-two who lost her leg an a mortar attack in Iraq says she's more proud of surviving PTSD than the blast that claimed her limb.
Former Army lance corporal Hannah Campbell, from Northampton, was given just a one in ten chance of surviving the horrific injuries she sustained after being buried alive in the 2007 Basra attack.
But the 33-year-old amputee, who has since battled suicide and post-traumatic stress disorder, now sees her scars as a 'badge of honour'.
She told the Sunday People: 'I don’t see these things as flaws any more, I see them as a part of my history and part of me.'
read more here
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