UK PTSD: there was NOBODY to take his desperate call for help

The crack shot who cracked up: Ice-cool sniper suffered PTSD after seeing body of his best friend killed in combat in Helmand... and there was NOBODY to take his desperate call for help
The Daily Mail
Ian Gallagher
February 10, 2018

Eventually a Medical Board dealt with his case in his absence and a decision was made to discharge him. He left the RAF last year without a pension – a decision he is appealing and which the couple describe as ‘appalling’.

The couple have never stopped campaigning for a 24-hour helpline, with Luke even invading the pitch at Liverpool’s Anfield stadium during a match in 2015 in protest at the MoD’s treatment of its soldiers

Dodging Taliban bullets in Helmand, RAF sniper Luke Huskisson drew on all his training just to stay alive.

Yet it was many months later, safely back at base in Suffolk, that the battlefield almost claimed him.

In Afghanistan, flushed with adrenaline, he was constantly tuned to life-threatening danger. Now, alone in his room, death and oblivion seemed enticing.

Speaking to The Mail on Sunday, Luke recalls: ‘I was getting constant flashbacks and I couldn’t take any more.’
read more here

Do some Trump supporters think the world will stay flat?

Correction: Only some supporters do. My bad, just added that word.

If anyone thinks that President Donald Trump would ever take sexual harassment seriously, they must also think the earth will stay flat.

Considering there was no "due process" for the women it happened to, seems Trump recovered to the highest office in the land, and then hired more accused abusers, with serious enough records the FBI could not give them security clearance. 

“Peoples lives are being shattered and destroyed by a mere allegation,” Trump tweeted Saturday morning. “Some are true and some are false. Some are old and some are new. There is no recovery for someone falsely accused — life and career are gone. Is there no such thing any longer as Due Process?”

Trump decries lack of ‘due process’ for men accused of sexual harassment, abuse

Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.), a leader in the effort to combat sexual harassment in Congress, said her stomach turned when she saw Trump’s tweet Saturday morning.

It just turned my stomach too. Just a reminder of who was elected and why he would have this disgusting attitude, The Washington Post added it.

As a candidate, Trump acknowledged that he had made lewd comments about grabbing women’s crotches after The Washington Post reported on a recording of Trump making these claims. “When you’re a star, they let you do it,” Trump said on a hot mic before recording a segment of “Access Hollywood” in 2005. Trump denied making any such assaults and dismissed the recording as “locker room” talk.

POTUS said it didn't happen, before he admitted it did, then defended why he said it.

I was a victim of domestic violence. The second it stopped, I was a survivor of it. Back then the attitude toward domestic violence was not what we needed it to be. Men denied it, said we deserved it, or simply got away with it.

So much for family values voters defending any part of what we've seen from this man, who was accused of marital rape by his first wife, left her for his second wife and then is now on his third marriage.

You may consider this off topic, but if you do then you must have not been paying attention to what continues to happen to women in the military. If you think this Commander-in-Chief, or any of his department heads will do anything about sexual assaults, you have been under the spell of the delusion wand he keeps waving as the master of deflection.

Don't count on this Congress either. Remember they thought it was OK to pay off survivors of their abuse with our tax money?

76 Year Old Vietnam Veteran Finished 5k Race--As Amputee

Donna Deegan’s uncle, a Vietnam veteran and amputee, finished Saturday’s 5K race
First Coast News
Author: Stephanie Kim
February 10, 2018

The annual Donna Marathon Weekend brings in hundreds of athletes from all over the country. Among them is one inspiring amputee from Greenville, South Carolina.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The annual Donna Marathon Weekend brings in hundreds of athletes from all over the country.

Among them is one inspiring amputee from Greenville, South Carolina.

Joe Cole took a big step Saturday taking part in his first 5K race. The Vietnam War veteran had his leg amputated four years ago after he was exposed to Agent Orange. The 76-year-old trained for months in preparation.

“Just because I lost my leg doesn’t mean I lost my will,” Cole said.

The Donna Marathon weekend has been a family affair since its start 11 years ago, especially because his niece is Donna Deegan, the founder of the DONNA Foundation.
read more here

UK Firefighters still struggle after Grenfell Tower

"It will stay with us forever": Hero Grenfell firefighters reveal emotional toll of dealing with tower tragedy
Mirror UK
Emily Retter
February 10, 2018

They worked relentlessly, up and down the smoke-filled stairs time and time again. The team had to listen to the screams and cries of victims and traumatised survivors in the worst blaze on our soil since the Second World War.

Tom Abell says he "shed a few tears" when the reality of the tragedy hit him (Image: Daily Mirror)

After witnessing the horrors of the inferno, Tom Abell and his colleagues are still suffering - but the brave crew are now set to run the London ­marathon to raise cash for victims

Driving day after day past the charcoal shell of Grenfell Tower , knowing first-hand the horrors that lay within, firefighter Tom Abell was unable to process what had happened there.

Based at the closest fire station, he and his watch had been first to arrive and then spent nine hours in the heart of the devastation.

They worked relentlessly, up and down the smoke-filled stairs time and time again. The team had to listen to the screams and cries of victims and traumatised survivors in the worst blaze on our soil since the Second World War.

Later, at North Kensington fire station, Tom read letters written in hopeful childish ­handwriting, with the pleading words: “My friend is still missing, can you help me find him?”

And he watched the events of June 14 over and over on television.

Yet it still took days before 31-year-old Tom could actually take any of it in. Then reality struck like a tsunami.

And today, Tom and his colleagues, along with the Grenfell residents, are still suffering torment over the blaze that killed 71 adults and children.
read more here

Vietnam Veteran Artist Roberto Gutierrez Brushes Fight PTSD

Art of Marine veteran who paints as therapy on exhibit in Lincoln Heights
ABC 7 News
By George Pennacchio
Friday, February 09, 2018

"I continue to seek help. I've tried the kitchen sink. I've tried hypnosis. I've tried traditional therapy. I've tried Qigong. I've tried Tai Chi. Whatever works!" 
Roberto Gutierrez

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Artist Roberto Gutierrez says color is in his DNA.

He expresses that in his paintings, after having lived through the darkness of war.

"It's my soother for PTSD. Still going through that," said Gutierrez. "Never will get rid of it but it's better."

For more than 40 years, Gutierrez has been painting away the pain of the Vietnam War.

The U.S. Marine veteran is among just a few members of his platoon who made it home alive.

Today, Gutierrez is a distinguished artist known for painting Los Angeles landscapes.

His current exhibit at Plaza de la Raza also celebrates landscapes from New York and Paris.
read more here

They Invent PTSD and Suicide Awareness?

I need a drink...again!

Nothing will change until reporters actually do their jobs and stay off Facebook collecting feel good stories! THE SUBJECT IS VETERANS COMMITTING SUICIDE but they cover the folks repeating a number that has been proven false a long time ago! 

Now this one with a veteran saying he wants to raise a million dollars, but really doesn't know what he'll do with the money? Catch this, yes, he has a Gofundme!

Wilsonville veteran has a dream: A place to help other vets cope with PTSD
by KATHERINE KISIEL, KATU February 9, 2018

WILSONVILLE, Ore. (KATU) - A veteran is on a big mission to help fellow vets who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder. The Department of Veterans Affairs says about 22 service members commit suicide every day.

He’s trying to raise a million dollars. He admits it’s a lofty goal.
“I’ve got these big ideas, and my wife’s like, ‘What are you going to do with the money?’ Well, if it doesn’t get there to where I can open it, I’ll donate it to Labradors for Vets. But I gotta try,” he said.

I have a dream too! It is when reporters actually pay attention to what they are reporting!

DO THESE PEOPLE JUST WAKE UP ONE MORNING AND THINK ALL THEY HAVE TO DO IS GET PUBLICITY?

I have another dream that people stop wanting to help long enough to find out WHAT THEY NEED TO DO, THEN HELP ESTABLISHED GROUPS DO BETTER JOBS! Just because someone suddenly became aware of something does not mean they are the only one to fix it! It usually helps to know how it works first!


No matter how much he may care, nothing will change without knowing what is needed, what is working and what failed. If this number is stuck in his head, then we should be wondering why he would not know what the rest of us knew years ago? How does anyone expect to change anything without some serious research? 

Suggestion, forget what reporters told you and what all the other awareness raisers have been doing all over the country. Invest time in finding out what you need to know and then you may be able to change something!

I bet no one told him the majority of the veterans committing suicide are over the age of 50. After all, no one but us are talking about the most glaring part of the suicide report too many failed to read.

Gee, do you think it may be because reporters across the country have let hundreds spread the same number and provided with them all the attention they wanted?

And yet again, a reporter just covered a story that should have been left on Facebook sharing the Gofundme for people who have no clue what is real vs what is not not even a plan other than the amount of money someone wants to raise.

And she gets paid for this kind of reporting? Want to find more reporters not doing their jobs? Here you go!


UPDATE


Arizona vets ruck march to Washington D.C. to raise awareness for veteran suicide 12 News Reporter Chad Bricks February 8, 2018

The number of veteran suicides is estimated at 22 per day. To raise awareness, these Arizona veterans are marching to the U.S. Capitol at a pace of 22 miles per day.

Marine Recruit Missing--Marines Not Looking For Him?

Marine who recruited missing Winthrop man is in military custody
THE BOSTON GLOBE
By Danny McDonald GLOBE STAFF
FEBRUARY 09, 2018

Authorities searched woods near Turtle Pond in the Stony Brook Reservation in Hyde Park for Brancato last month. Family members continue to comb the reservation every weekend for Brancato, said Brancato Walke. “Why aren’t the Marines doing something, that’s what I’d like to know,” said Brancato Walke. “Why haven’t they stepped up?”

A Marine gunnery sergeant who recruited a 21-year-old Winthrop man who has been missing since mid-November is in military custody, according to a Navy official.

Frank Lipka was the sole recruiter at the Roslindale office where Marine recruit Joseph Brancato was processed, said Ed Buice, a spokesman for the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, in an e-mail.

Brancato was last seen on Nov. 18 in Roslindale’s Mendelssohn Street area, where he was living and training with Lipka in the hopes of passing the physical tests necessary to become a Marine, said Brancato’s aunt, Andrea Brancato Walke.
read more here

Afghanistan veteran charged with murder shocks community

Soldier charged with Dallas murder battled PTSD, says family
Senior pastor William Nkea is still trying to understand how his nephew, Bobby Ngendung, 23, went from a soldier serving his country in Afghanistan to a man charged with murder, apparently so out of control, he had to be held down for his mug shot.
KHOU 11 News
Author: Monica Hernandez
February 8, 2018

Senior pastor William Nkea is still trying to understand how his nephew, Bobby Ngendung, 23, went from a soldier serving his country in Afghanistan to a man charged with murder, apparently so out of control, he had to be held down for his mug shot.

"I knew he was battling PTSD," said Nkea. "He looked a little depressed and a little isolated."

The VA was treating Ngendung for PTSD, said Nkea.

Ngendung was discharged from the army as a Private First Class, said Nkea. WFAA asked the Army communications team for more details, but they had not been provided as of press time.

Two of Ngendung's roommates came home to their apartment in the 5600 block of SMU Boulevard between 5:30 a.m. and 6 a.m. Monday to find Ngendung acting "very worried and psychotic" and "pacing back and forth," saying "I {expletive} up, I {expletive} up, I put my hands on...." without finishing the sentence. Then, police said, he referred to the closet and the color red.

His roommates were able to calm him down and drive him to the hospital. Fearing he killed the fourth roommate, Michael Mitchel, they alerted a security guard.
read more here

PTSD "drug was no better than a placebo?"

A Drug Widely Used to Treat PTSD Symptoms Has Failed a Rigorous Trial
The medication is currently prescribed for many veterans
Scientific America
By Andrew Joseph, STAT
February 8, 2018

“I really think that we are beginning to recognize that sweeping everything under one PTSD rug may be more than one rug can cover, or should cover,” said Friedman, a psychiatry professor at Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine. “By better defining what the syndrome is that we’re treating, we can better identify medications that could be helpful.”

Thousands of people with post-traumatic stress disorder have taken the drug prazosin to ease the nightmares and disturbances that stalk their sleep.

Numerous studies have shown the drug to be effective at controlling those episodes. But a team of researchers from the Department of Veterans Affairs, seeking to collect more evidence, set out to study the sustained effectiveness of the treatment. They organized a large, lengthy, multisite trial—the most rigorous type of trial.

The drug was no better than a placebo.
read more here

What is a proper motto for courage?

UPDATE:
VA employees wanted a gender-neutral mission statement. The agency refused

The strategic document instead phrased VA’s mission statement this way: “To fulfill President Lincoln’s promise to care for those ‘who shall have borne the battle’ and for their families, caregivers, and survivors.”

GEE WHERE DID WE SEE THOSE WORDS BEFORE? For Those Who Have Borne the Battle, Equality?
Combat PTSD Wounded Times
Kathie Costos
February 8, 2018


Is the VA motto outdated and sexist? The head of the Iraq and Afghanistan veterans group thinks so.

At issue is an 1865 quote from Abraham Lincoln, “To care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow, and his orphan.” The quote was from Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Address and became the motto for VA 59 years ago.

Lincoln's quote is part of our history. Then again, so are women serving in the military. 

As a matter of fact, considering that there was a female held as a POW during the Civil War, you'd think that Lincoln would have used the word "those" instead of "he" and instead of "widows" maybe use families. 

Attitudes were a lot different back then. Oh, I don't mean the attitudes of males in charge thinking women should not be in the military. After all, considering they always wanted to serve, the only attitude change females have had is that more of them fought for the right to serve this country. 

Really twisted when you think about it.

Dr. Mary Edwards Walker became a doctor when women were only supposed to be nurses. A female POW, and she was a surgeon...and the only woman to have been given the Medal of Honor, before they tried to take it away...then they gave it back symbolically.

This is what MOH Dr. Mary Edwards Walker went through afterwards.

Even though Walker was a Medal of Honor recipient and Civil War veteran, people often insulted her. Some written accounts say people even threw tomatoes at her as she walked through town.
“She is recognized all across the United States,” said Theresa Cooper, the Oswego town clerk who worked with the Oswego Town Historical Society to spearhead the statue project. “She has her own postage stamp. Children across the U.S. find her interesting enough to do projects about her in school. Yet here, she knew how people perceived her in a negative way. She knew children used to make fun of her.”

And then there is this,

"Her taste in clothes caused frequent arrests on such charges as impersonating a man. At one trial, she asserted her right to, “Dress as I please in free America on whose tented fields I have served for four years in the cause of human freedom.” The judge dismissed the case and ordered the police never to arrest Dr. Walker on that charge again. She left the courtroom to hearty applause."

But long before Mary, there were many more willing to do whatever they could for the sake of this land they loved and freedom . They fought to obtain it during the Revolutionary War!

Their motivations for signing up vary but, since most of these women were young, unmarried and poor, many of them joined in order to earn money for their families as well as for the rare opportunity to fight for America’s independence. It’s not surprising that since the American Revolution began in Massachusetts, many of these women soldiers were from Massachusetts.Some of these women soldiers include Deborah Sampson from Plympton, Mass, who fought in New York under the alias Robert Shurtliff in 1781 and served for over a year before she was discovered.Another female soldier was Ann (or Nancy) Bailey of Boston who enlisted in 1777 under the alias Sam Gay and was promoted to Corporal before her true identity was discovered just a few weeks later, resulting in her arrest and imprisonment.After her release, Bailey signed up again and served as a soldier for a few weeks before she was discovered and jailed again, according to the book The Revolutionary War.Some women didn’t disguise themselves or join the military but instead armed themselves and took to the streets, such as Prudence Cummings Wright did in Pepperell after two suspected Tory spies came through her town and she recruited a group of armed women to capture them.

Considering this nation was not just created for freedom but women have been subjected to far more than any males to achieve it, changing a motto that is younger than the current President is the least we can do for them!


After Iraq and Afghanistan, pioneering women in the military set sights on Congress
Washington Post
By Mary Jordan
February 7, 2018

In Amy McGrath’s pitch to voters in Kentucky, she wears a bomber jacket and stands next to an F/A-18, the fighter jet she flew as a Marine to drop bombs on Afghanistan.

In Mikie Sherrill’s political ad in New Jersey, the camera lingers over a whirring Sea King helicopter, like the one she piloted on Navy missions.

And in Martha McSally’s video announcing her run for Senate in Arizona, she is crouched in the cockpit of an Air Force fighter jet to underscore that she was the first woman to fly in combat.

Women who served in the military are running for elective office in greater numbers than at any time in history. Many broke gender barriers in uniform and say it’s time to make their mark in politics. For generations, military veterans who become elected officials have overwhelmingly been male and Republican, but these female veterans, many of whom served in pioneering combat roles in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, are overwhelmingly Democrats and critical of President Trump.
read more here